Residents of a cul-de-sac say they have been plunged into darkness by global shipping giant UPS who have not cut their conifer trees for five years.The 20-metre giants loom over the small back gardens of Ellesmere Avenue in Derby meaning the sun sets soon after midday.They had been regularly trimmed after they were planted as a noise barrier in the 1980s and had grown to maturity.Now residents say there’s been no snipping since Covid and five years of growth have doubled their size.Madeline Hackett, 80, who has lived in her semi-detached home since 1979, said: ‘It is like living in an open tomb in the winter. There is no light at all after midday. Christopher Smith, 69, (pictured) a retired engineer who lives with his wife Pauline, said: ‘From 2.30pm you cannot dry the washing even on a good day. It is really hard to do the garden because of all the moss’ The row of leylandii conifers was meant to protect  residents from the noisy UPS warehouse Instead, the sun now sets behind the hedge in the afternoon, plunging homeowners into darkness The huge hedge hasn’t been cut for a whopping five years by delivery service UPS Madeline Hackett, 80, (pictured) who has lived in her semi-detached home since 1979, said: ‘It is like living in an open tomb in the winter. There is no light at all after midday’ Homeowners on a Derby cul-de-sac have slammed shipping company UPS for not cutting a huge hedge’If you are old and can’t get out as much then it is very, very depressing and it is affecting my mental health.’When you get to my age, every day is a bonus but it is not much fun with these trees blocking out all the light.’For decades, Madeline, a former nurse and midwife, had contacted corporate giant UPS whose warehouse is at the end of the 30-foot gardens, to remind them about the trees.’The trees weren’t here when I moved in,’ she said, ‘there was just a wooden fence and the yard was owned by Mac Fisheries.’Then UPS came and one mother complained so much about the noise that they planted this line of conifer trees.’I used to ring up UPS every four years and they were excellent at coming round and snipping the trees back.’But now they don’t pick up the phone. I have written two letters this year and have nothing back. They had been regularly trimmed after they were planted as a noise barrier in the 1980s and had grown to maturity The huge conifers tower above the homes they are meant to protect Serkan Surer, 44, a fruit and veg supplier who lives with his wife Charlotte and two of their three children, said: ‘I used to cut them back but now they are way too big. You want some privacy but they have to be maintained”If they don’t sort them soon, we’ll be back into another nesting season and then you can’t cut them.’The Council are next to useless. They invited each of us who are affected to fill in a High Hedge Application and pay £555.’Other neighbours were also fuming about the situation.Serkan Surer, 44, a fruit and veg supplier who lives with his wife Charlotte and two of their three children, said: ‘I used to cut them back but now they are way too big.’You want some privacy but they have to be maintained.’His wife Charlotte, 46, added: ‘It is depressing to have so little light and we still suffer from huge amounts of noise coming from their warehouse.’They work 24 hours so every night there will be bangs and crashes and the sound of metal being dragged over concrete.’The vibrations are so bad they go through the house. The kids find it very difficult to s sleep. Another resident said: ‘It is so dark at the back end of these houses, it just sucks the daylight our of our lives’ Local councillor Alan Graves of the Reform Party said: ‘The manager of the site has changed and is not so amenable to cutting hedges. We are basically at an impasse”The trees do nothing to stop that but they make it impossible to keep the garden tidy because they shed all over the place.’Another neighbour, Christopher Smith, 69, a retired engineer who lives with his wife Pauline, said: ‘From 2.30pm you cannot dry the washing even on a good day. It is really hard to do the garden because of all the moss.’They have always been good at trimming them but now we feel abandoned and these trees really shoot up. They need several feet taking off.’On a sunny day, the difference in temperature between the front and back of the house can be four or five degrees.’Another resident, Shriley Barron, 85, Madeline’s neighbour for over four decades, told Derbyshire Live: ‘It is so dark at the back end of these houses, it just sucks the daylight our of our lives.’Some parts of my garden never see any sunlight throughout the winter and the parts that do might only get half an hour at best. It really is a nightmare.’It is not only the issue of trees that makes UPS a difficult neighbour.In recent months, Arctic lorries have been arriving on the cul de sac, thinking they were entering the UPS plant, only to become stuck.Arnold Parzonka, 29, said: ‘Two weeks ago we had a truck driver stuck on the the road for five hours in the middle of the night.’I stood in my window in agony at 3am as he tried to reverse with all the bleeping noise.’The trees are also a problem. I have been here two years and never seen anyone look after them. You just don’t get any sunlight, it gets you down.’Mr Surer added: ‘A few times now they have come down here by accident in 40-ton Arctic lorries.’I think the satnavs are set up wrong because it never used to happen.’I go to work at 4.30 and spent 40 minutes trying to help him back off the road. I had to wake a neighbour to move their car.’Local councillor Alan Graves of the Reform Party said: ‘The manager of the site has changed and is not so amenable to cutting hedges. We are basically at an impasse.’It is not acceptable because there is a law in this country that these trees can’t exceed two metres.’It is their civic responsibility to carry out this trimming for the benefit of local residents. I don’t think the residents are being unreasonable in asking for this.’He added that he had asked a local tree company about doing the work but they were quoting £400 per house.A spokesperson for Derby City Council said: ‘Because these trees are on private ground, this is a private matter between the hedge owner and the residents, but we can offer guidance. The 20-metre hedge looms ominously above the homes of the people who live below it Residents say they are sick of the darkness they endure each day because of the hedge UPS said: ‘We’re always working to be good neighbours in the communities where we operate and where our people live, and we are discussing this matter with the local council”Our advice in these situations is for the residents to contact the hedge owner and agree a solution. From looking at historical street view images, it appears that the trees have been regularly maintained in the past.’The Council would only become involved if attempts by the residents to resolve the issue with the other party were unsuccessful, and the residents decided to make a formal high hedge complaint.’They would need to show that they had tried to resolve the issue with the hedge owner.’Our powers to deal with a high hedge complaint come under government legislation, so each complaint carries a fee of £550 for processing, which is payable by every property wanting the section of hedge affecting their household assessed.’We would urge the residents to make contact with UPS to resolve the issue.’UPS said: ‘We’re always working to be good neighbours in the communities where we operate and where our people live, and we are discussing this matter with the local council.’