A SINGLE mother says she is living in "complete darkness" due to overgrown trees stopping natural light from entering her home.
Kelley Pitt, 36, also believes the foliage is causing her two-bedroom council house in Copperfield Gardens to become damp.
The trees overhang the rear garden of her property from land owned by housebuilders Linden Homes. However, Miss Pitt, who moved into the house in January 2011 with her son Charley, 17, claims neither the company nor Brentwood Borough Council is willing to help her.
She told the Gazette this week: "All I do is sit and cry – I'm in complete darkness. It's out of my control as there's no way I could afford to do the work myself – it will cost thousands of pounds.
"I have been fighting this for two years and the council said it is nothing to do with them. This is a mess."
She continued: "Everything is mouldy – the wallpaper is peeling off, the blinds have rotted and I've had to take my kitchen floor up.
"I have painted everything white and cream to try and brighten things up. I have a built-in wardrobe and all my clothes are in it and they've all rotted.
"My patio furniture has rotted away and the tree roots are even lifting up the patio itself. I don't want to live like this," she cried.
Miss Pitt first complained in July 2011 and says that since then Brentwood Borough Council, which owns the council house, and Linden Homes, which owns the land where the trees grow, have been passing the blame between one another.
She said: "I feel ignored – I am the tenant stuck in the middle."
A spokesman for Linden Homes said: "The trees form part of a protected woodland habitat and a well-populated badger sett, with a number of the trees having Tree Protection Orders.
"Further to our investigation, there is no evidence of any trees causing direct damage to the property, which, at the time of construction, was designed to accommodate the existing adjacent trees.
"We have advised the tenant and property owners that they are within their rights to trim the trees back to the boundary line, providing they conform to any restrictions that may be in place."
Councillor Jan Pound, spokesman for Housing and Health at Brentwood Borough Council, commented: "The trees are on land belonging to Linden Homes, not on council land and we understand from Linden Homes that they are part of a protected woodland habitat.
"Previous inspections by council technical staff have not concluded that the trees are causing a problem to our property, however we will be visiting again shortly to reassess the situation."
