Body of pensioner found in his flat SIX YEARS after he died
11.05.2023 - 20:21
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A pensioner lay dead in his home for SIX years before his skeletal remains were found - after his landlord obtained a court order to enter and check the gas supply. The body of Robert Alton, who was 76, was discovered inside his flat on Hemsworth Road in Bolton on March 9 this year.
An inquest into his death concluded he 'likely' died in May, 2017, said his landlord Bolton at Home in a statement after a coroner recorded an open verdict. The housing association owns, manages and maintains more than 18,000 homes across the town.
Its chief executive officer said in a statement after the inquest 'it's completely unacceptable to us that something like this has happened' - and admitted the organisation should have done more to check on Mr Alton's welfare.
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In the statement, CEO Noel Sharpe said Bolton at Home 'made many attempts' to contact him 'over a number of years' to arrange gas safety checks, but the inquest heard there was no response from him.
It's understood the pensioner's rent was being paid through housing benefits. His death was not treated by Greater Manchester Police as suspicious.
Mr Sharpe said the 'reason' Mr Alton's death wasn't discovered sooner was 'our previous procedure, while meeting legal requirements, wasn't strong enough to prevent something like this happening'.
He said the policy was changed in July 2022 so legal warrants would always be sought to obtain access to tenants' homes where they cannot be contacted to check gas supplies. It was that change that led to Mr Alton's body being discovered, the inquest heard.
In the statement, Mr Sharpe said Bolton at Home missed opportunities in spotting something was wrong and 'didn't go