HOUSEHOLDS fear removing trees from railway sidings has exposed them to more noise and vibrations as a survey revealed homes had historical structural damage.

North Oxford residents accused Network Rail of ruining views from hundreds of homes and leaving them exposed to noise after it cut down areas of woodland.

It came as a survey of houses near the line, done by one resident, showed half had suffered structural damage, for which vibrations from passing trains have been blamed.

Residents of Waterways, the estate built on the former Unipart site, say the removal of trees by the line has caused them to lose sleep.

They said it had left “a railway yard” instead of woodland outside their homes and increased noise levels from trains.

Waterways Residents’ Committee member Lyn Bibbings said: “The removal of mature dense woodland trees, including tall silver birches and hawthorn, has resulted in people living here being completely exposed to all the railway tracks, whereas these were previously screened.

“We are not lines on a map but real people trying to live decent lives.”

Network Rail said the trees and vegetation needed to be removed as part of the work to twin track the line between Oxford and Bicester and to prepare for an increase in passenger and freight trains.

Council leader Bob Price said: “I share the grave concerns of residents about the cavalier approach the railway companies are taking to these serious environmental issues.”

A survey carried out by one North Oxford resident claimed more than 40 properties near the Oxford-Bicester railway line have suffered “severe” structural damage since the 1970s.

Keith Dancey said he had spoken to some 90 people living in trackside homes as part of a survey.

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Half had in the past underpinned their foundations, he said, or had reinforced their walls with steel bands.

He said: “If 30 trains a day travelling at 30mph can lead to that sort of damage, what on earth will happen to people’s homes when there are 200 trains travelling at 70 mph?”

Network Rail’s Victoria Bradley said: “Vibrations from trains are very unlikely to cause structural damage to houses and buildings near the railway. As we are only responsible for maintaining our infrastructure to the required standard, anyone who feels their property damage has occurred as a result of our operations is asked to undertake an independent survey.

“It is also worth noting that there are many factors that can cause damage to a property including its age, the standard of workmanship, and water table and subsidence issues.”

Network Rail said trees removed did not back on to properties and did not provide screening from noise and vibrations.

She added: “The only vegetation being removed is in the ‘V’ shaped area between the main Oxford to Banbury lines and the Bicester single line.

“The clearance is for the installation of a new set of points and the second line. While trees and other vegetation do provide a visual screen, they do not provide any noise or vibration mitigation.”

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