Angry householders are calling for more than 40 trees to be felled before they fall on their homes.

Pat and Tony Shaw

Although the 60ft-high silver birches bordering Didcot Girls' School appear healthy, people in Churchill Road say the trees are dangerous and make their lives a misery.

"We're fed-up with complaining about falling branches and catkins, seeds, twigs and leaves which litter our back gardens, blow into the houses and bedrooms, and block gutters and drainpipes," said resident Pat Shaw.

Twelve years ago, the Oxford Mail reported how a tree crashed into a garden next to the Shaws' house.

At a meeting with county councillor Terry Joslin, householders arrived with debris from the trees collected from their homes.

Lily Pitman, 78, said she and other residents were scared to go into the garden in high winds.

She said: "During gales last winter, I woke up screaming when a branch crashed over my back window.

"It was longer than the height of my back wall. Only my double-glazing stopped the branch coming through the window."

Mr Joslin said a report six years ago highlighted the difficulty in establishing ownership and whether the school or the county council was responsible for the trees, which were planted in the 1970s.

Jeannette Hebbert, the school's headteacher, said: "The school pays for the county council to maintain the trees and we rely on the council for their expert advice."