I’m furious as 50ft trees block the light into my home and ruin my phone signal – the council can’t do anything

A MAN has been left fuming over a row of 50ft trees that block the light into his home and ruin his phone signal.

Carl Martindale, 49, from Hull, says the towering trees are affecting the quality of life of himself, his wife, and their neighbours.

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Carl Martindale, 49, is fuming at the 50ft trees that tower over his property[/caption]

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He says the huge trees even affect his phone signal and Sky box service[/caption]

The large trunks are found behind their communal garden fence, on a piece of land formerly occupied by a Birds Eye factory.

And a disgruntled Carl claims that the trees are blocking natural light in their homes, forcing him to keep the lights on all day as energy prices rocket.

The 49-year-old also says that the trees are interfering with the service on his Sky box and blocking his phone signal, reports Hull Live.

Carl said: “We moved into the bungalow in April this year and there was a tree on our property outside the bedroom window.

“We asked the housing association to remove it to let the light in, and they sorted it without a problem.

“Next to our communal garden there is a row of 50ft trees that were put in to hide the old Birds Eye factory from view.

“But, the factory hasn’t been there for donkey’s years now and it is just used to store caravans – so why do they have to be there?”

Carl was also keen to stress how the trees have inconvenienced residents well as potentially putting their lives at risk.

He continued: “It’s blocking all of the light in our kitchen, so we have to keep the lights on all day, and it’s blocking the signal on our phones and our SKY box.

“These are services that we pay for, but we’re not getting our money’s worth.

“If one of those trees blew down, there would be a hell of a lot of damage – it would go straight onto our bungalow.

“I just don’t understand why they need to be 50ft high, they’re not hiding anything anymore.”

Carl explained that Hull City Council had already sent an operative round to trim some overhanging branches, rather than reducing their height.

“I like trees, and I’m not saying I want them cut down entirely – I just want the council to trim them down to a reasonable height. I think it’s fair enough to want light in your property,” he said.

However, a spokesman said that if the trees were to be cut down in height, they would regrow faster and spread even more – causing the neighbours even more problems.

A spokesperson for Hull City Council said: “Council staff attended to trim back the trees where they overhang into properties and to remove some of the lower branches.

“However, residents said they didn’t want this work carrying out, so we left without doing it.

“It isn’t possible to reduce the height of the trees, as the trees would regrow very fast from the point they were cut, and spread further – meaning it would actually make it worse for the residents.

“We will happily go back to trim and remove the lower branches if that’s what residents want.”

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Carl says that he has to spend more on electricity because the huge trees stop natural light getting in[/caption]