LONG-suffering residents affected by flooding have called for action to remove a a mound of mud placed in a lay-by.

Homeowners said the mound on Greenbank Terrace, Lower Darwen, had added to flooding problems, including on Monday, when the area was saturated by heavy rain.

But Blackburn with Darwen council bosses said the mound was placed on Greenbank Terrace to deter ‘illegal encampments’ from taking place.

Rachel Holyhead, from Lower Darwen, whose grandparents live on Greenbank Terrace, said: “The mound was put there a couple of weeks ago as a response to the council and the owner of the land struggling to get a traveller off the site.

“They went through the civil proceedings and got the traveller off and put a mound of mud there.

“But the road is a well-known flood spot.

“My elderly grandparents live on that last row of Greenbank Terrace adjacent to the mound of mud."

She said that their home has flooded on several occasions and has seen damage caused to their floorcoverings.

Ms Holyhead called for the council to remove the mud mound and address flooding concerns on the road.

She said: “The problem is that water carries down from the fields at the back and the drains are not cleared at the front of the house.

“The mud mound will only make the flooding worse.

“We had heavy rain on Monday and it was drenched in no time.

"It becomes a worry every time it rains.

“I’ve had to contact the council highways department about it.

“The council do need to take action to prevent this flooding as it’s been a problem for a number of years," said Ms Holyhead.

"I’d also like to see the mound moved as it’s unsightly and creating an extra flood problem.”

A council spokesman said: “This mound was placed on Greenbank Terrace to deter illegal encampments from taking place.

"We are looking into a solution for drainage by providing punch holes in the area of the mound,” the spokesman added.