Entire neighbourhood is filled with garbage after floodwater washes huge piles of trash through the streets in Lagos

• A series of photographs shows the ground completely smothered in filthy rubbish following heavy rains 
• Thousands of polystyrene packages, plastic drinking bottles and food cartons covered the floor in Lagos
• Residents waded through thigh-high piles of rubbish as waste collectors used diggers to clear paths

An entire neighbourhood in Nigeria has been left swamped with mountains of rubbish following torrential rainfall over the weekend.

The ground of Surulere in Lagos was barely visible as thousands upon thousands of coloured polystyrene packages, bottles, and cartons swamped the area. 

Residents were seen wading through the thigh-high piles of waste as rubbish collectors resorted to using diggers to plough through the heaps of garbage.   

Some residents in Lagos – which was once considered one of the dirtiest cities in the world – blamed poor drainage and a lack of government action over the mess.

Brightly coloured polystyrene food packages and dirty bottles completely covered the floor

Residents walk behind each other in a line as they help join in the clean up operation

The ground of Surulere in Lagos was barely visible as thousands upon thousands of coloured polystyrene packages, bottles, and cartons smothered the surface

Rubbish collectors had to resort to using diggers as they ploughed through the heaps of garbage

Workers were seen tirelessly scraping through the rubbish in a bid to clear the roads

The areas’s 16 million residents have long complained about garbage piled along highways and drainage canals

Rakes were used by workers as they scraped through the waste, hoping to unclog the roads

Residents wade through the rubbish, which climbed up to their knees in height

Residents, including children, were seen wading through the piles of waste as rubbish collectors ploughed through the heaps of garbage

A heavy machine is pictured at the scene ready to help clear the rubbish

Mountains of rubbish surround cars following the heavy rainfall over the weekend, with some piles reaching nearly the height of car tyres

The skies were clear of any clouds signalling further devastating rainfall, which caused a tide of rubbish to swamp the streets

Thousands of bottles can be seen strewn across the ground, making it impossible for cars to drive through

Residents wade through the rubbish, which climbed up to their knees in height

The floor was completely smothered in rubbish in the Lagos neighbourhood

Government officials said they were working to remove rubbish and clean the canals linked to the flooding

Residents have previously said the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), which has responsibility for collecting waste, often won’t collect it from homes that have fallen behind on bills

Two waste collectors, one wearing a face mask, wade deep in mud as they carry shovels ready to help unclog the rubbish

A man is seen jogging through a pathway that had been cleared in the clean up mission

In some areas the rubbish had been completely covered in mud, as residents expressed sanitation fears over the waste