Legal proceedings against a landlord whose property allegedly fell into disrepair have been dropped due to her ill-health.

Fuling Wu was charged with five offences relating to the condition of a multiple-occupancy house she owned on Bluebell Road in Norwich.

The property was alleged to have had a leaking ceiling, a faulty boiler and a large amount of refuse in the garden.

But the case against Mrs Wu, which was due to go ahead at Norwich Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, has now been withdrawn by Norwich City Council.

A spokesman for the local authority said it had received evidence that the 63-year-old was suffering from 'significant' ill-health.

The council added that Mrs Wu had taken steps to improve the safety of the house, which is currently occupied by three people.

Court documents state that the offences were alleged to have taken place on June 1, 2016.

Mrs Wu, of Chongqing University, China, was charged with failing to comply with regulations in respect to the property's management. The charges state that:

• Smoke detectors in the ground floor entrance and first floor landing were not maintained in good working order.

• Doors to the kitchen and ground floor were not fitted with self-closing devices and thus were not fire doors.

• Necessary measures were not taken to protect occupiers from injury, in that windows in the ground floor front bedroom, two first floor bedrooms and a first floor rear bathroom were painted shut.

• The yard or forecourt contained significant amounts of waste.

A council spokesman said concerns were raised by the property's cleaner last May, and the house was inspected the following day. The spokesman added:'It was alleged, from initial investigation, that there was a lot of refuse building up in the garden, there was a leak in the bathroom and it had come through the ceiling and the downstairs boiler was faulty.'

The council said it was not in public interest to proceed with the matter and added that the owner had appointed a 'reputable agent' to assist with the property's management.