RESIDENTS claim their tree-lined Crewe street is causing subsidence to their homes.

Several residents of Gainsborough Road are understood to have taken out claims against Cheshire East Council to cover the cost of repair work as their properties have been plagued by cracks in the plaster of walls and ceilings.

Some report other structures, such as bay window frontages, have shifted because of root growth from the trees left unmaintained, they say, on pavements outside their homes.

Dave Woolrich says he had abandoned decorating his three-bedroom property because the cracks have become so bad.

He is still waiting to hear about the claim he made more than three years ago and claims the council's highways department has neglected to maintain the trees by cutting them back sufficiently to prevent encroachment into homes.

"I have been here for 15 years and I remember the trees were cut right back a long time ago, but they've not been touched again. They've now grown out of control and the roots have spread out into the footings and caused subsidence," said Mr Woolrich, who says he knows of six of his neighbours who have lodged claims against the council.

"I've got lots of cracks and my front bay [window] is virtually falling from my house. There are cracks downstairs and up in the bedrooms and the landing ceiling.

"It is a living nightmare as I can't decorate or do anything with my house."

Mr Woolrich says a company acting for his insurers has told the council it needs to remove the tree outside his property before it can embark on repairs.

He claims he was told he could arrange for the work to be done himself, but is reluctant to hire a tree surgeon until he knows the outcome of a claim which could run over £40,000.

Residents say the tree growth has caused other problems, including leaving parked cars coated in leaf mulch while also blocking out natural sunlight from rooms.

Highways engineers have "pollarded" trees showing excessive growth in other areas of Crewe in the past, including nearby Lunt Avenue. None of the trees on Gainsborough Road are protected by Tree Protection Orders prohibiting them from being cut down, uprooted or lopped.

Crewe West councillor Connor Naismith says up to 80 homes on the street could be affected by tree growth.

"The trees have grown so large that the roots are causing serious damage. I have been in several homes and they [the cracks] are all the same and they all have trees in front of them," said Cllr Naismith, who plans on raising the matter at Cheshire East's next highways and transportation committee.

"I asked for one of these trees to be looked at [by the council] but the residents have been told to make claims."

The councillor has submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the authority to find out how many other claims for compensation for damage or personal injury caused by trees have been made across Cheshire East.

"I'd like to get other residents together to hear how they have been affected," he added.

Cheshire East Council has been approached for a comment.

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