A hoarder who had accumulated so much rubbish that the ceiling of her house collapsed is no longer believed to be trapped inside the building.

Newham Recorder: Demolition workers empty rubbish from the houseDemolition workers empty rubbish from the house (Image: Archant)

Police had been working with firefighters after fearing a 61-year-old woman may be trapped after the ceiling of her home in Forest Gate caved in.

Last night they were working to clear the premises as they searched for the owner of the home, in Suffolk Street.

But workers at the scene this morning said the woman is thought to have been staying with friends when the collapse happened on Tuesday night.

A police spokesman said: “A search dog has attended the property but did not indicate the presence of an occupant.

“The structure has been declared unsafe.

“The London Borough of Newham has dispatched a housing clearance team and clearance will be carried out under the supervision of a Borough Surveyor.

“When the address is deemed safe a further search of the property will be made.”

When officers arrived at the scene, they found mountains of furniture, papers, and junk spilling out of the windows on to her front drive.

Police said the house was full of rubbish and described the woman as a hoarder.

For more details, see the link to yesterday’s story on the right hand side of the page.