Staff at a Co-op store say people should be making a conscious effort to look out for one another after a regular customer was found dead in his house.

On Sunday January 31, staff from the Clayton-le-Moors branch of the Co-op raised the alarm with police after becoming worried about an elderly customer who they hadn't seen in the store for more than a week.

One staff member said her intuition kicked-in and she knew something was wrong when she realised she'd not served him for a few days.

Along with other staff and some friends, she made enquiries about where he lived so she could check-in on his welfare.

She said: "In stores like ours we get to know our customers and their habits.

"We had this one gentleman who used to come in every day, twice some days.

"Anyway we all became concerned about him as we hadn't seen him for a week.

"He was a solitary man and lived alone.

"He never conversed with any of us, just did his shopping then left.

"Then a couple of Sundays ago, my intuition told me something wasn't right, so I did some digging and found out where he lived.

"Turns out, he lived opposite a friend of mine. I asked her if she'd seen him, and she hadn't either.

"So her husband knocked on his door several times and I went down and noticed the living room light was on and again we knocked on. Still no answer.

"I asked her to ring 101 to see if they could send the police to do a welfare check."

On request, the police checked the hospitals but found the man had not admitted, so they forced entry to his property.

Unfortunately they found him dead inside.

The staff member, who did not wish to be named, said she was glad she noticed something was wrong and acted on her instincts, and wants more people to do their bit for vulnerable people in their communities.

She added: "God knows how long he was there for. I just want everyone to do their bit and check on not just friends and family but on their neighbours, so something like this doesn't happen again.

"It's just so heartbreaking. We all become so wrapped up in ourselves, but we should be looking out for others and checking in on those living on their own.

"If something doesn't feel right or you're worried about someone, please contact the police."

A spokesperson for the police said: "We were called around 12.30pm on January 31 to Albert Street, Clayton le Moors, to reports of concern for welfare.

"We attended the address and sadly found the body of a man aged in his 70s.

"There are no suspicious circumstances and a file will be passed to the coroner in due course."