A pensioner says she is almost a prisoner in her home because her street keeps flooding.

Lilly Tuck, 80, cannot leave her bungalow in St Paul's Avenue, Lancing, by the front gate for fear the water will gush in.

Mrs Tuck believes the problem stems from a burst pipe at nearby Brooklands Lake, Worthing, which usually trickles away into a drain.

Torrential rainfall in recent weeks has left the drains blocked and water has oozed up and flooded the street.

West Sussex County Council has launched an investigation and set up a pump in the road - but the rain keeps falling and the floods continue.

Mrs Tuck said: "It's terrible. I can't get out the front of my house. Every time it rains, the problem gets worse. There was about 3ft of water. It has dropped about 1ft but it is still there.

"It has been flooding since 1987 but the last five weeks have been the worst. I have had trouble sleeping at night because of the worry."

When desperate, Mrs Tuck can leave the house via her garage but the route takes her five times longer and gives her breathing difficulties.

A Worthing Council spokesman said: "We are aware of the problem and we are looking to hire consultants to find out the cause.

"The pipes are submerged at the moment so we do not know if the pipes are causing the problem."

A Southern Water spokesman said: "When we were informed of the problem, we went out and found a burst pipe. But it does not belong us and is either owned privately or by the council."