A city woman has been battling to establish who owns a row of dangerous 40ft conifer trees which tower over her garden.

Linda Dagless of Cranage Road fears that the trees are a safety risk to herself and her dog, Benny.

The 46-year-old care home worker said that both Norwich City Council and Network Rail - as a train line runs at the base of her garden - have refused ownership of the shrubbery.

%image(14475499, type="article-full", alt="The 46-year-old care home worker Linda has lived in Cranage Road for 10 years")

Miss Dagless said the issue has persisted for eight years: "The trees have wrecked my garden.

"When the wind blows you do think they're going to come down.

"I've tried using my own money to get workmen to come out and sort the trees, but because the insurance is so high for them due to the train tracks on the other side they're not willing to do it.

%image(14475500, type="article-full", alt="The 40ft conifers in Cranage Road back on to the train line")

"No-one will admit whose they are or do anything about them.

"I am at the end of my tether.

%image(14475503, type="article-full", alt="Linda had struggled to establish who was responsible for maintaining the trees")

It has been established that the trees are on Linda's land, which means they are owned by Norwich City Council.

She hopes that the trees can be trimmed back to a safe height and width.

"I've been trying, but no-one seemed to care," she added.

%image(14475502, type="article-full", alt="The trees have prevented Linda from using her swimming pool and washing line")

"Even friends have come around and tried to cut bits off for me."

She said that the trees have prevented her from hanging up her laundry, using her swimming pool and has made using the garden harder for her pooch.

A Network Rail spokesman said they were "sorry to hear of the difficulty Linda has experienced with these trees and her concerns about their safety" and would investigate further.

%image(14475501, type="article-full", alt="The conifers - now 40ft tall - have been causing issues for the last eight years")

A spokesman for Norwich City Council added: "Looking after and maintaining their own garden is normally the responsibility of council tenants.

"However, if a tree appears dangerous, dead or diseased, please report it so that we can carry out an inspection and take any necessary action.

"When Miss Dagless first reported the trees in her garden to us two years ago, a member of our team came out to check them and determined that they were safe.

"We would be happy to take another look to ensure that is still the case."

%image(14475812, type="article-full", alt="Linda says she is "at the end of her tether"")