Jeanette Reid, 60, was left in tears when she saw the diggers arrive (Picture: SWNS)

A furious gran has been forced to look at a ‘big ugly’ building site after builders tore down a 20ft-high hedge outside her home.

Jeanette Reid, 60, says she and her husband Nigel lovingly maintained the shrubbery for 22 years.

She claims developers removed the hedge without planning permission and council officials have now launched an investigation.

It has left the Northamptonshire couple yearning to see wildlife once again, rather than the new building site.

The gran-of-three has recalled the emotion of seeing the diggers arrive outside her home.

‘I was really upset, I cried. We’ve lived here 22 years it’s part of our garden,’ she said.

‘We’ve always looked out to this greenery. The little boy next door cried. The noise of them chopping the trees down was awful.

Jeanette claims the original planning application states the hedges should have all stayed put (Picture: SWNS)

What the hedge looked like before (Picture: SWNS)

What the area looks like now the hedge has been torn down (Picture: SWNS)

‘A man arrived with a digger that chopped down trees and hedges and I went down and stopped him and told him the hedge was ours.

‘The young lad did stop and they agreed to stop and take the building site side out.

‘They then just ripped it out and left us with a bunch of sticks basically, it did look awful.

‘Now, from every window in the front of the house we have to stare at a big ugly building site.’

The 60-year-old is well versed in these types of matters because she used to work in local government.

She says the original planning application stated all the hedges should stay.

The gran also claims building work across from her starts at 7.15am rather than 8am, as the developers say.

Their road is blocked with lorries first thing in the morning, she adds.

Jeanette used to work for local government and knows what she’s talking about (Picture: SWNS)

‘We reported it and we regularly email the council but we get no response’, she said.

‘We’re a small close of 12 houses. We’ve all got our heads around the development but we’re all upset at the lack of respect from the builders.

‘People are upset to the damage of the environment. It’s caused a lot of bad feelings. It’s down to the council but they aren’t doing anything.’

A spokesperson for Avant Homes said: ‘The temporary mesh fencing is within our boundary to protect a newt barrier, which runs along the edge of the site, from construction works.

‘In line with our planning approval, a permanent fence will later be installed along the legal boundary of the site.’

North Northamptonshire Council said in a statement: ‘This is a live enforcement investigation by the council’s planning enforcement team.

‘Under the circumstances, it would not be appropriate to make further comment, as the council would not wish to prejudice the investigation.’

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‘I was really upset, I cried. We’ve lived here 22 years it’s part of our garden.’