SCOTTISH Power bosses are being urged to act on overgrown trees causing a headache for homeowners in Inverkip - as residents fear they could crash onto their properties.

Alan Clark, a resident of Station Avenue, is among those calling for trees next to a Scottish Power substation to be cut back.

Their large canopies have prevented him from installing solar panels on his roof, but other residents are worried they could fall onto their homes.

Alan, 57, has spoken to Scottish Power and Inverclyde Council over the trees but says he has not made any headway.

He said: "They are a problem and block out the sunlight from around midday.

"If I'm going to lose half of the day's power for a good part of the year then solar panels are not financially viable.

"We're trying to save energy and we've got a good roof for catching the sun, but the trees are stopping me from going ahead."

Fellow resident Steven Miller, who lives in the house adjacent to the substation site, told the Telegraph the trees had been a thorn in his side too.

He added: "I'm worried they could fall, you sit there on a windy night sometimes just waiting for something to happen.

"We've also had issues with daylight at our house and the road adjacent to the trees can become slippery with leaves.

"The side of my house gets covered in moss and dampness too.

"Scottish Power don't want to spend the money, but they need to fix it - the trees are massively overgrown."

Mr Clark has enlisted the help of Inverclyde MP Ronnie Cowan over the issue.

Mr Cowan said: "Mr Clark is facing contradictory information and unnecessary complications and delays.

"Unless there is a compelling case why these trees should not be cut back, it should not be difficult to find a solution to help my constituent.

"I would expect Inverclyde Council and Scottish Power to try to help achieve this."

SP Energy Networks say the trees are the subject of a preservation order which prevents them from carrying out works without permission.

Their spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities as a landowner seriously and have been doing all we can to address concerns raised by a small number of Station Avenue residents regarding the trees in the vicinity of our substation.

"Despite commissioning three independent surveys from three different tree specialist contractors, none of these has identified any safety issues or recommended that the trees be cut back – on that basis, we’re unable to get the necessary permissions.

“We’ve advised the residents we’re in contact with that if they can get the council to grant them permission, we will undertake any approved works; but we can’t do anything without the relevant authority to do so.

"We’ll continue to keep in touch with the residents and monitor the situation closely.”

An Inverclyde Council spokesperson said: “The trees and land in question do not belong to the council and the responsibility of maintaining the trees does not lie with the council.

“A Tree Preservation Order (TPO) is set out in law to protect identified trees and woodlands identified as having a significance to an area to prohibit unauthorised cutting or damage.

“Where work to or removal of a tree that is subject to a TPO is required, permission must be sought and granted for this by the council to be carried out.

“Applications will be judged on the information provided and set against the guidance in place around TPOs.

“An application was submitted in 2021 by Scottish Power to remove the trees, however, the proposed felling of the group of trees was not supported by the tree survey report prepared by an independent specialist that accompanied the application in terms of the general condition of these trees.

"The application was then withdrawn by Scottish Power."