Council issues statement and launches review after pensioner's body found in his flat six years after he died

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A council has launched a review to 'identify any potential missed opportunities to act sooner' after a pensioner lay dead in his flat for six years before his skeletal remains were found.

The tragic case of Robert Alton, a 70-year-old retired bookmaker, was revealed after an inquest into his death concluded this week.

The body of Mr Alton was discovered inside his flat on Hemsworth Road in Bolton on March 9 this year, but the inquest found 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, Bolton's largest supplier of social housing, owns, manages and maintains more than 18,000 homes across the town. READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community The inquest heard Mr Alton's body was found only when staff from the housing association forced entry to his home under a warrant to check on his gas supply.