This blanket of thick mud has prompted a huge clean-up operation at a popular community sporting facility.
The ten-inch layer of dirt accumulated on the tennis court at Uplyme in East Devon after a series of floods over the past few months.
Residents in the village are leading efforts to remove between 60-70 tonnes of material before the courts can be re-opened to the public.
Ken Furzey is undertaking the task on behalf of Uplyme Parish Council for the third time.
"The sheer volume of material is absolutely amazing," he said. "We've had three floods in the past two months. Parts of the River Lim have been ripped out and washed onto the courts." He has spent the past two weeks trying to remove the material, working up to three hours a day.
Mr Furzey said: "I've spent 40 hours over the past fortnight– that's a whole working week.
"Mud has got into the pores of the tarmac, so it's been hard work."
Ideas to prevent it happening again include changing the course of the River Lim.
Mr Furzey said: "Someone has volunteered to re-mark it for free, but that might happen a long way in the future.
"The big problem now is that the courts won't be open again until the end of March. It's a big source of money, and at the moment we're very short of money."
