A woman whose ex-partner dumped heavy industrial containers in front of her home is still battling to get the eyesores removed.

Lucy Pettett, 37, came home from work to find her front and back doors blocked by the two huge crates.

Her neighbours said they had seen her ex-partner, who works in the plant and machine-moving business, unload the containers outside her house two weeks ago. Miss Pettett, of Old Shoreham Road, Lancing, could not get into her house until later that evening when a locksmith arrived to let her in by a side door.

Neighbours had looked on in disbelief as Miss Pettett's former partner, James Messham, manoeuvred the heavy containers into place using a crane.

Miss Pettett was forced to climb through a window to get into her house and has still not been able to get the containers removed.

One of the containers has been moved a few feet back to allow workmen in but it is still outside the house.

They needed to complete work on the house the estranged couple are trying to sell. Ms Pettett said she had been approached by daytime TV queen Trisha to tell her story on air but so far she has declined.

In the meantime she and her neighbours are stuck with the unsightly containers.

Ms Pettett said: "The council has said after 28 days they will make an order for removal. "There is nothing I can do because they are not my containers and I don't want to be done for theft.

"The sale is going through the solicitor at the moment."

One neighbour said: "I can't believe those things are still there. They look awful.

"I've seen the poor woman climbing in and out of the window and it's her own house. I hope they sort it out."

A spokesman for Adur District Council said: "They may need planning permission for them but they are unlikely to get it because the containers look so awful.

"We will be sending letters out to both people involved asking them to remove the containers and if that does not happen we will issue an enforcement order."

Mr Messham was unavailable for comment.