NEIGHBOURS have described their shock and frustration after being told trees felled in high winds will remain strewn across their gardens and resting on broken fences for several days.

Families living in Darlington were left disappointed at a council decision not to remove tree trunks, branches and debris left in the back gardens of four properties in Skerne Park.

Several large trees were uprooted from back gardens overlooking the rear of terraced houses in Eden Crescent during high winds on Wednesday morning.

However, social housing residents have been told that the aftermath of the dramatic incident will not be cleared until Tuesday, June 13, at the earliest.

Mother-of-two, Kerry Metcalfe, said that the delay in replacing and repairing broken fence posts and panels has forced her to change her plans of hosting a tea party in her garden for her son’s second birthday.

She said: “There’s been several trees falling down in my garden because of the wind, but the council have said there’s nothing they can do until next week.

“They can’t come out until Tuesday at the earliest, but this is affecting me and my neighbours.

“The trees have gone through my fence and two other fences and if the weather stays like this then it’s going to go through more.

“It’s stressful to deal with and it’s upsetting really. I was shocked that the council won’t help us until next week.

“I’m upset because it’s my son’s second birthday and we were going to have a party in the garden on Friday, but we’ll have to rearrange that and have a smaller tea party at a friend’s house.”

After Darlington Borough Council were contacted about the incident, a tree surgeon cut away sections of tree trunks on Wednesday.

However, no further removal or repair work will take place until an inspector from the authority has assessed the gardens for health and safety.

Ms Metcalfe, 24, added: “A tree surgeon has been out to cut away some of the trees, but there’s still a lot left behind in my garden and my neighbour’s garden and none of them are secure now with all the broken fencing.”

A Darlington Borough Council spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the damage caused by the recent high winds.

“Tree surgeons have ensured the area is safe and an inspector will call to assess the remedial work needed, which will be carried out as soon as possible.”