A woman who had one of her five stone legs amputated has been shocked to find the stump has nearly grown back to its original size.

Mandy Sellars from Lancashire had to have one of her legs amputated after a septicaemia infection which could have killed her.

However she now has to carry around a three stone stump as her leg grew back only 22 months after the operation.

It now has a circumference of over 1 metre. The abnormality is due to a condition similar to Proteus syndrome, which afflicted 'Elephant Man' Joseph Merrick.

Her rare disease is suffered by only about 120 people world-wide. After the operation, her leg gradually grew larger until it broke her prosthetic limb.

The 36-year-old told the Mirror:

“I hoped the amputation would stabilise my condition but I think I knew in my heart that it would start growing again."

"Almost straight away the stump began increasing in circumference and I was finding it harder to fit it into my prosthetic leg."

"Then the stump got so heavy that it broke the prosthetic leg."

Staying positive, Sellars, who has been forced to leave her job at the RSPCA, says she will not let the condition beat her.

She told the Mirror:

"I will not let this thing beat me. I'm determined to stay as mobile as possible and fight for my independence."

"I just have to live day to day, week to week. I have got a life and I have to live it as best as I can. There are people far worse off than me."