Neighbours who claim they alerted their housing provider to a ‘smell’ were allegedly told it was a ‘problem with the drains’
Neighbours in an over-55s residential community are angry after claiming a man’s body was left to decompose in his flat over several weeks. Residents said they last heard from the vulnerable 64-year-old man on September 8. However, his body wasn’t discovered by police until last Tuesday, October 15.
It is not known when the man sadly died and an inquest into the cause of his death is to be held. Neighbours in Hanover Court, Runcorn, said they noticed a smell in their block of flats earlier this month and alerted their housing provider, Anchor, about it. Neighbours claim an Anchor representative said it was a “problem with the drains” and on Thursday, October 10, cleaners were brought in to unblock them.
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When this didn’t resolve the smell, one neighbour rang Anchor back the following day to complain. Speaking to the ECHO, the neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: “I told her the smell’s getting worse and worse, and it’s coming from the flat. She [Anchor representative] said, ‘oh it’ll linger – it’s the sewers’. But there was no smell outside – you can smell drains.”
Anchor failed to address the claim put to them by the ECHO that neighbours had allegedly been told the smell was due to the drains. Christopher Jones, Area Manager for Hanover Court, told the ECHO: “We are saddened by the passing of a resident who was living independently at the location and have shared our condolences with the family. We are supporting the police in their investigation. We are also supporting the other residents at the location.”
In the five days following this conversation, the neighbour claims the smell continued to get worse so he confined himself to his living room and closed the door to keep it out. He said: “It was unbearable. As you walked in the block, you could smell it right away. It was ten times worse than a sewer, put it that way.”
The man’s body was found on October, 15, when Cheshire Police carried out a welfare check at the property. Cleaning was reportedly carried out the following Tuesday, October 22. The neighbour was offered emergency hotel accommodation in the intervening period, but declined as they didn’t want to leave their home. Another neighbour we spoke to said: “One woman is really upset about it, she hasn’t slept.”
Cheshire Police confirmed an inquest would be held into the man’s death. A spokesperson said: “At 5.30pm on Tuesday 15 October police were called to reports of concerns for the safety of a man at an address on Hanover Court, Runcorn. Officers attended and a 64-year-old man was found dead at the address. His death is not being treated as suspicious and a case file will be prepared for the coroner.”
