Hayfever sufferer Lorna Waide is appealling to Nelson region residents to trim their privet trees.

Many people were unaware of the effect privet had.  ''It wipes me out,'' she said. 

''There are a lot of people who suffer and it would help if everybody did their little bit by trimming their privet hedge.''

Privet flowered prolifically with lots of clusters of tiny white flowers from mid-November until early January and they had a strong and toxic smell, she said.

If not trimmed privet grew into sizeable trees, and birds spread the seeds so more popped up, she said.

Mrs Waide, who lives in Stoke, said there were at least four untrimmed hedges along her street.

She believed lots of people suffered bad effects without realising the cause.

She also suffers from the immune disorder ME, or chronic fatigue, so hayfever which gave her sore and puffy eyes, sneezing, a burning throat and aching body was unwelcome.

''I feel totally awful,'' she said. 

''I'm an outdoors person but I spend weeks inside because of it.

''I've been seriously thinking about something positive I can do, and I just want to raise the awareness.''

- © Fairfax NZ News