FURIOUS residents say they have been left in TEARS after a row of 100 trees protecting them from noise from the motorway was removed.

       The homeowners - who live close to a stretch of the M5 in Birmingham - say the busy road now feels like it runs through their bedrooms.

       5

       Pictures from before the chop show lush greenery 5

       Residents have now been left with a view of an unsightly fence

       The residents living in Quinton, Birmingham, were left gobsmacked when rows of conifers began quickly disappearing from behind their back gardens last month.

       The trees have been growing there for the past 50 years shielding them from light, noise and pollution coming from the nearby motorway.

       Shocking before and after pictures show one garden bursting with colour surrounded by lush green trees which has now been left with barren views of the motorway.

       Residents say the noise of thousands of lorries thundering past their properties each day has made living in their homes unbearable.

       Families have alson been left with rows of unsightly tree stumps behind their homes and now only a battered fence protects them from any motorway accidents.

       As a result, property prices on Clay Drive and Village Mews have dropped in value by as much as ￡30,000 almost overnight.

       Melanie Davies, 51, a health and safety consultant, moved into her ￡175,000 end terraced property last April and has spent ￡50,000 renovating the place.

       She said: "The first day I walked in after they started the work, I dropped to the floor in tears. I just collapsed. It has been heartbreaking.

       Most read in News

       BABY 'MURDER' Dad 'finds newborn baby dead' in freezer as two women arrested over murder

       TRAGIC BLAZE Four twins, 3 & 4, killed alone in house fire after as woman held for neglect

       A LOCK LIKE CHRISTMAS Brits face choosing between pub with mates or Christmas with families

       STAB THREAT Star's killer stepmum is 'no1 target' in jail & lags 'queuing to shank her'

       "I only moved into this house in April and have poured everything into renovating it and the garden was next on the list to do but I feel like there's no point anymore.

       "It is like living in a petrol station. You can smell the motorway, it's vile.

       "I have moved from the back bedroom because the lorry headlights pour into the house making it like Blackpool illuminations .

       "As there are gaps in the fence, it causes a strobe effect which makes you feel like you're trying to sleep in a nightclub.

       "The traffic has gone from being a faint hum to the sound of lorries thundering past.

       "The trees shielded all of this until now You can't get away from it, it's just relentless."

       She added there was a"terminally ill resident unable to relax in her own home" and that people had been awoken at night as their beds are shaking due to the traffic.

       Melanie fumed: "National Highways say they will plant more bushes, but ones that are only 5ft tall so how many years is it going to take those to grow?

       "I've put so much time and effort into making this house a home, but I just don't enjoy my life here anymore.

       "Now, it is literally like living with a motorway running through your home."

       5

       Melanie said it feels like the motorway is inside her home 5

       The trees were chopped down for safety reasons, National Grid said

       Another resident, Michael Lawrence said the motorway was not a problem when the trees were still standing.

       He added: "Now they've gone, the wildlife has gone too, pollution has increased and the view has been completely ruined.

       "We had no time whatsoever to have a dialogue with National Grid."

       Connell McHugh, who lives on Chichester Drive, added: "The trees would shield you from the excess dust, light and pollution.

       "When you buy a house next to the motorway you accept there's going to be noise, but the greenery made it feel that bit more homely and inviting."

       Preet Kaur Gill, the Labour MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, has since written to National Grid to demand an explanation.

       She wrote: "The residents, and I, were deeply troubled by the poor communication regarding this work.

       "I am dismayed as to why you think this course of action is appropriate, and I want a full explanation of why this has happened."

       The councillor said residents should have been "fully consulted, not notified" about the works.

       She continued: "There was no time given to any of these residents to even question these works.

       "These trees were planted when the estate was built, intended to protect the residents and their property from the motorway.

       "The residents can now smell and hear the motorway through double-glazed windows, and the lights shine through their curtains.

       It is like living in a petrol station. You can smell the motorway, it's vile.

       Melanie

       "In addition, the residents have been left with tree stumps. There is now only one, broken fence protecting them from the motorway.

       "There is also an environmental concern, this row of trees had become an ecological pathway, and was home to many bats...Removing over 50 trees does not reinforce this message. Can you explain on who's directive you took this course of action?"

       Tory councillor Dom Stanford said he "massively sympathised" with the residents affected by the increase in noise and pollution.

       He said: "This has seemingly come out of nowhere, without an enormous amount of consultation, which is what I think has shocked and upset so many residents here "The responses they've had from National Grid have been fairly abrupt and quite rude in nature which hasn't helped the situation.

       "I've taken their reports about light pollution and noise concerns on board and have contacted National Highways to urge them to take immediate steps to mitigate the effects of cutting down the trees."

       National Grid said the trees had been removed due to the risk to traffic and nearby power lines as part of a joint partnership with National Highways.

       The land where the trees were planted belongs to National Highways, which said it had agreed to replant with fast-growing species.

       A spokesperson for National Grid said: "We understand the concern of local residents, but this was essential safety work to protect overhead power lines, motorway traffic on the M5 and local residents.

       "We have a legal requirement to ensure safe distances between trees and power cables.

       "In previous years we have reduced the height of these trees without removing them fully.

       "However, our specialist arborists are clear that approach is no longer safe as regular cutting can cause this species to re-grow in such a way that can result in an increased risk of the trees falling or branches breaking off onto powerlines, the motorway or into residents gardens.

       "National Highways, who own the land the trees were planted on, are replacing the trees with a more suitable species in order to continue to provide screening of the motorway."

       National Highways programme development manager, Ian Doust, added: "We're working in co-operation with National Grid to replace trees that need to be removed near the M5.

       "We've agreed to plant fast growing species in the area."

       Birmingham City Council has been contacted for comment.

       5

       Residents are devastated by the change