Three trucks full of waste removed to retrieve body from hoarder's home
A hoarder found dead at his home had collected so much rubbish that police officers could not reach his body.
Three flat-bed trucks full of waste had to be taken from the home of the 63-year-old man in Birmingham before his body could be removed.
A narrow staircase leading to the upstairs maisonette could be seen littered with papers, bottles and rubbish.
Police, who were called to the address on Tuesday afternoon, remained at the scene the following day.
Environmental health officers summoned four trucks to remove rubbish and were seen raking litter down the stairs.
It is not yet known how long the man had been dead before he was found.
According to neighbours, the man was a former National Grid worker from Leicestershire who had lived at the house for around four decades.
One resident in Bickton Close, Erdington, said: "He always appeared well-dressed when you did see him.
"I went into his house 25 years ago and there was no room to move. It could only have got worse since then.”
A passer-by said: “I heard an officer on the phone to environmental health or the council. I heard him say: ‘We can't wait five days as there is a body inside.’
“I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I said to the cop, ‘don't you have a direct line?’ and he said ‘no, we have to call the same number as everyone else’.
"Thankfully they turned up soon after. The smell was unbearable."
A West Midlands Police spokesman confirmed: "Police were called to a property on Bickton Close in the Erdington area of Birmingham after concerns were raised for the welfare of a man just before 4pm on Tuesday, 14 January.
"Sadly, the body of a 63-year-old man was found. The death is not being treated as suspicious and has been referred to the coroner."
