A council tenant has been living in fear that tall trees in her neighbour's garden could crush her house with her in it.

Jean Ramsdale, 74, of Bishopstone, would not be able to sleep on windy nights for the fear that the trunks of the trees could break.

The pensioner believed that the sycamores were dead and weakened. Since sharing her fears the council has taken action and cut back the plants.

Jean said: “The way it is and the height of it, if it falls over this way it's going to crush most of our houses.

“It would take the roof out for certain and probably crash into the living room. My neighbour and I are very scared of the fact that, if it falls this way, it falls on me and my house and everything.

“On windy days I do lose sleep. I have an art studio just underneath it and if it all comes down, it will crush it all to pieces.

(Image: Dave Cox)

“Basically, it's a very dangerous, tall, dying tree.”

For Jean, a retired painter and amateur pilot, the night time concern caused by the trees was matched by the irritation they caused her in the daytime.

The sycamores would drop seeds and twigs in her garden. Being disabled, she would not be able to clear these, ruining her enjoyment of an outdoor space she takes pride in.

She said: “I'm really fed up. I went out there the other day to clear the whole mess up but because I've got such a really bad leg at the moment, it's really screaming in pain at the moment. 

(Image: Public submission)

“It's getting me down because there's birds and everything all over the place.”

The trees stand in her neighbour’s garden. Both her and her neighbour’s houses are rented from Swindon Borough Council.

She said: “The council have never trimmed any of the trees. They've never helped us in any way that way. Quite bad altogether.”

But since Jean reported her concerns to the Adver last week, Swindon Borough Council say they have cut back the trees.

A council spokesperson said: “We had to gain permission from our planning team to carry out any work as the tree is in a conservation area.

“However, our tree team visited our tenant earlier this week and carried out some pruning to resolve the issues she has been experiencing.”