A Wellington woman suffering from mobility issues has been left housebound after floodwaters left a swamp of mud around her house.

Roz Mason, 78, has been left 'at her wits end' after repeated efforts to get the mud cleared.

The thick sediment came after the biggest downpour since 1969 hit Wellington, causing mud to slide down from a Wellington School playing field.

Ms Mason managed to avoid the worst of the floods after water which ingress her home fell short of reaching her carpets - but has since become trapped by mud
Ms Mason managed to avoid the worst of the floods after water which ingress her home fell short of reaching her carpets - but has since become trapped by mud (Tindle )

Ms Mason, who is waiting on a knee replacement, has been left stranded by the sea of mud. She said: "I can’t get out and about because I can hardly walk down to the back gate and no one can come to the front to pick me up.

"I can’t walk very well I am waiting for a knee replacement. Wellington School told me they would sort it out but came back a little while later to say they couldn't"

Sunday's heavy rain caused a mudslide from a nearby playing field
Sunday's heavy rain caused a mudslide from a nearby playing field (Tindle)

Ms Mason has contacted a number of organisations to help with the clear-up operation, but she says they said it wasn't their responsibility. She said: "The council say it’s nothing to do with them the Highways say it’s nothing to do with them – so what do we do with all the mud? 

"I am at my wits end with it. If my neighbours load this mud into wheelbarrows where would they dump it? "It has been stressful, I spend hours on the phone trying to sort it out. We have reached the end of all our efforts and don't know what to do next."

It appears much of the difficulty surrounds the identity of the muddied land's owner. According to the Land Registry, Ms Mason said, "It belongs to nobody."

Commenting, Wellinton School also said that the mystery over the land was holding up clearance efforts, but committed to working with their neighbours toward a solution. In a statement a spokesperson for Wellington School said: "Following the extensive rainfall we had on the September 17 across the region the School had a partial bank collapse where some mud and bank debris was washed down onto the Highway adjoining Martins Buildings. 

"Our Campus team visited the occupiers of Martins Buildings on the following Monday to discuss the issues. We have reported the issues to the Highways Team who will address the highways issues and we are currently in discussions with our Insurance company. The loss adjuster is coming out on September 28. 

"The School does not own the land immediate outside Martins Buildings where the mud has settled following the rainfall, so we cannot access it as it belongs to someone else. 

"We have been informed by the occupiers of Martins Building they do not own it either.  We are happy to work with the Insurance company and the occupiers to help try and resolve the matter as swiftly as possible.

"The School has advised the residents to also contact their own insurance companies to discuss their individual circumstances.

"We will continue to work with our neighbours and the various agencies to try and find a sustainable solution and are in frequent contact with them to try and resolve this issue."

The difficulties follow an entire months rainfall landing on Wellington in a single day - the heaviest downpour the town has seen since 1969. The deluge forced a number of residents to be rehoused in Bovet Street and Oaken Ground - and caused damage at Ditchford Cottages and Hilly Head.

The Town Council are set to discuss the drafting of an emergency plan for Wellinton in the event of any future flooding at their next meeting on Monday October 2.