Neighbours are fed up with the “menace” of trees outside a tube station, which are flooding their homes with millions of seeds.

Residents in Tewksbury Close who live near Loughton station say they have spent the past seven years dealing with silver birch trees on the TfL-owned site overhanging their gardens.

Silver birch trees produce hundreds of catkins during late summer, which disintegrate during autumn, releasing masses of seeds no more than two millimetres wide.

The seeds can often find their way into nearby buildings and can also cause problems such as blocking drains and guttering.

One Tewksbury Close resident, Peter Steadman, told the Guardian the problem is a “nightmare” and thousands of seeds are blown into his house on the wind or accidentally dragged in by his children.

Mr Steadman said: “The seeds disperse when it is windy and you cannot go outside, there are literally millions of the things and it has become a major problem for us.

“We cannot have any of our windows open, we cannot have any of our doors open. They get in beds and cots- they are just a menace.

“It is like a snowfall when it is windy, there are seeds covering absolutely everything, I am spending all day out in the garden trying to clear them all up.”

Residents say that despite a number of complaints being lodged with TfL over the years, the transport authority is yet to take action over the problem.

Mr Steadman added: “They keep saying they are going to send someone but they have never done anything about it.

“I have spoken to some of my neighbours about it and they said they have also complained to TfL, but nothing is being done about it.”

“I am not asking them to just cut the trees down, but if they could trim them back then it would help a lot.”

TfL acknowledged it had received complaints from neighbours in Tewksbury Close and was looking to bring forward plans to deal with the trees as part of its winter works programme.

A TfL spokesman said: “We are aware of the issue and people from TfL has been in contact with residents about this previously.

“We will be sending them letters this week to confirm work will be going ahead involving trees around Loughton station.”