Couple lived next door to dead body for six weeks

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Alison and Ray Mitchell, who live in Donaldson Court, Worcester, said they had first noticed a foul smell in the middle of June, before flies started appearing around their neighbour's window.

The body was eventually found around a month after they first reported their concerns to West Mercia Police, with Alison, 70, describing the situation as "upsetting".

A spokesperson for the police force said they used information reported to them to "determine whether the police are the most appropriate service to respond".

"Where there is no indication of a policing need," they added, staff "advise the person reporting the concern of the most appropriate agency or service to contact".

The Mitchells then also reported their worries to Citizen, the housing association which manages the flats, but it took a further three weeks for the body to be discovered.

Citizen's head of income and commercial housing, Paula Jenner, said: "We recognise this is a very difficult and upsetting time for the homeowner's family, friends and neighbours, and our thoughts remain with everyone affected."

Months later, the flat has still not been professionally cleaned.

Speaking about the impact of the ongoing incident, 94-year-old Ray said: "I've got quite a bad chest which I have hospital treatment for and it certainly affected me. It certainly made it much, much worse."

The couple have lived happily in the apartment block for 14 years, but in mid June they were faced with an overwhelming acidic smell that they say resembled "very bad blocked drains".

Alison said: "[We] couldn't walk out the door unless we covered on our faces and noses because the smell was so bad. It was vile."

They initially thought the odour derived from the bin store, until flies started swarming around their neighbour's window.

Fearing the worst, the couple went into Worcester's police station on Castle Street on 26 June. They say they were told the force could do nothing and it was suggested they should ring the hospital instead.

After becoming increasingly worried about their neighbour, they called Citizen, on 7 July, who determined "there were no indications that further action was required" at the time.

Three weeks later, on 27 July, Citizen returned and found the homeowner had died.

"As soon as the door was opened, the smell just came straight out," Alison said.

"Although it was terrible, it was really very sad. The aspect of that was a bit of a sadness for us."

While their neighbour's body has been removed, the property has not been deep-cleaned and flies still gather around the window.

The couple are urging Citizen to deep-clean the property as soon as possible, saying it is vital, but Citizen say it is not their responsibility.

Jenner said: "As this is a homeowner's property, responsibility for the contents and condition of the flat transfers to their estate following their death, in line with the terms of the shared ownership lease."

Alison told the BBC only a bed and some of the carpet had been removed from the flat.

Jenner added: "While clearing and cleaning the inside of the property is not part of our responsibility, we recognise the circumstances facing the family.

"We have been in touch with the next of kin to offer to arrange a specialist bio-clean of the flat on their behalf."

However, this clean would be at the expense of the next of kin.

For Alison and Ray, it is vital that someone cleans the property.

"That's all we really want from this, is for somebody, whether it's Citizen or whether it's the next of kin, to come down and sort it out and take responsibility," Alison said.

"We don't mind who does it as long as somebody please does it for us."

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