RESIDENTS living in a Trowbridge housing estate are at the end of their tether with overgrowing brambles on their road.

According to retired milkman Barry Collins, who lives in the estate, residents have been battling Wiltshire Council over the problem for a decade and now want action to be taken.

He said: “We have been battling the council for over 10 years but they have done nothing about it.

“It’s untidy and it's blocking the back gate of someone’s garden. If there was a fire in their house and it blocked them from getting out of the front door, they certainly wouldn’t be able to get out the back as the bushes are blocking the exit.

“It has been going on for too long now and we are fed up. I have been out to cut it a few times and so has my son, but we want a permanent solution.

“It’s unsafe as there are lots of brambles sticking out which could easily catch someone in the eye, and it also looks bad.”

A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said: “This area was already programmed to be cut back soon, however we arranged for this to be done earlier this week, which will hopefully help with some of the issues.

“We would remind residents that they too have a responsibility to maintain their own gardens and land so it doesn’t encroach footways, roads and other people’s properties.”

Brambles are a common problem, especially in neglected areas or under hedges.

They can be difficult to eradicate once they have become established and Mr Collins thinks that just cutting them will not get rid of the problem due to this trait.

He said: “Simply trimming the brambles isn’t good enough – it will just grow back, as we have seen many times over the years.

“We need a permanent solution or we will be in the same position again. I’m not an expert so I don’t know what that solution is, but I know that just cutting it back won’t solve the problem forever.”