Huncoat man lay dead at home for up to two years

Neighbours spoke of their shock after the badly decomposed body of Brian Dean, 70, was recovered from his home by police.

Residents of Huncoat have been left ‘utterly shocked, appalled and horrified’ by the find.

They said Mr Dean was a recluse who had become more private as he got older so they had not thought anything was wrong.

And no official alarm was raised as his utility bills and council tax were being paid by direct debits.

Officers are now trying to trace any next of kin but it is not thought Mr Dean, a retired engineer and keen cyclist, had any close family or friends.

Police broke the door of the terraced property in Station Road on Monday.

His body was found by officers in a bed in a first-floor room.

The death is not being treated as suspicious.

Tests will now be carried out on Mr Dean’s body in a bid to determine a cause of death before a file is handed to the coroner to hold an inquest.

Inspector Jill Johnson said it was "incredibly sad" that no-one had noticed that Mr Dean was dead for so long.

She said: "We believe he may have been dead for two years.

"That is because of the condition of his body and there was mail piled up behind the front door that dated back to 2006.

"We know that he was a private man and that friends would not have worried if they didn't see him for a long time."

Mr Dean's home has a sign in the front window asking visitors to use the back door.

The rear entrance to his home is heavily fortified with two large fences and a concrete wall.

There was also a large amount of rubbish piled up in the back yard.

Coun Paul Gott, who lives near Mr Dean's home, alerted police on Monday after concerns were raised to him by residents.

Coun Gott said that Mr Dean, a fanatical Clarets fan, was well known in the area as ‘an incredibly private person’.

He said: "When a few concerns were raised to me I wasn't sure what to do because you don't want to pry into people's lives but I decided to contact the local police.

"It was such a grim discovery.

"Brian had a very changeable character. One day you could see him and have a nice conversation and the next time you saw him he would be completely different and more abrasive.

"You can tell from looking at the way he had surrounded his house with fences and security that he was a paranoid man.

"I hope that people will learn from this situation and make sure that they keep an eye on neighbours.

"But if people do not want to be friendly or talk to neighbours then there is little you can do to change that."

Neighbour Frank Towler, 83, said he was "utterly shocked and appalled" that Mr Dean had passed away in such circumstances.

Mr Towler lives two doors away from Mr Dean's home and said he could remember him as a child and young man.

He said: "I was friendly with his parents, particularly his father Arnold, but I had not seen Brian for a long time.

"He served in the Army in Germany for a while in the 1970s and he seemed to have changed when he got back.

"He worked in the factories in Burnley. As the years went by he was much more private and he became quite paranoid.

"He was a loner and very reclusive. That is the best way to describe him.

"I don't think I had seen him for about four years.”

Another neighbour, Jean Crowther, 88, said she was used to seeing him cycling in the evening, but that he would often only go out in the very early morning or late at night.

She said: "I remember him well but it certainly wasn't cause for concern if I didn't see him for a long period of time.

"I think it was about three years ago when I last saw him out on his bike.

"It is such a shock that something like this could happen."

Ian Prescott, 31, has lived two doors away from Mr Dean for the past three years and said he had never met him.

He said: "It it horrible to hear about what happened. I had never met him.

"People told me he was a recluse but it is so shocking to think that he has been dead for all of that time and no-one has noticed. "