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I’M struggling to get through our front door.

The problem is that my girlfriend won’t stop picking up “treasures” from charity shops and car boot sales.

At the moment we have six sewing machines in our hallway, plus a life-sized model of a tiger. That’s on top of piles of shoes, carrier bags, books and umbrellas.

She says she wants to open her own flea market and insists she’s building her stock, but it all looks like rubbish to me.

We live in a modest flat and I feel overwhelmed.

Getting into my own bed is like tackling the north face of the Eiger.

More than once I’ve tripped over. But if I complain she says I’m ruining her plans.

JANE SAYS: You need to tell her that you can’t carry on like this.

Your home is being taken over and your mental and physical health are now suffering.

If she’s serious about starting a business, then why can’t this stuff go into storage?

Be pro-active and insist you both start going through it all. Set aside a couple of weekends and arm yourselves with black bags and boxes.

My worry is that she’s already becoming overwhelmed and doesn’t know what she’s got or where to start.

Work together and both of you will feel so much better when your rooms are cleared and you can live normally again.

Then you need to have a chat about her future spending. As you’ve found to your cost, a messy environment quickly becomes overwhelming and depressing.

This cannot be allowed to build up again.