Inquest could explain man's death inside house where woman was rescued weeks before

The house in Renwick Avenue, where the man was found dead last October

Robert Buttle’s body was found in the bathroom of his South Shore home in October – almost a month after his seriously ill mother was rescued from the dirty conditions inside.

Neighbours said they hadn’t seen him since his mother, then 58, was taken into hospital, and police were unable to confirm a cause of death because of the length of time his body went undiscovered, though it was later reported to be non-suspicious.

The inquest, to be held at Blackpool Town Hall on Wednesday, April 26, will aim to conclude how Mr Buttle, in his 30s, died.

Mr Buttle’s badly decomposed remains were found by council cleaners who were called to his semi-detached Renwick Avenue home on Thursday, October 27, after neighbours reported a bad smell coming from inside.

They called in police who launched an investigation at the house, which was visited weeks earlier by firefighters and paramedics after the woman living there was seen calling for help from an upstairs window.

She was said to be in ‘poor health’ and was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital for treatment.

But one neighbour said the smell emanating from the home became so unbearable in the days that followed that she couldn’t even open her windows.

A town hall spokesman said workers decided to clear the house after being told it ‘was in a poor condition with a large amount of waste’ inside.

When they arrived, they found the bathroom blocked and called in firefighters, who used tools to get inside.

“The man never spoke to anybody,” a neighbour said at the time. “We saw him pottering about.

“He would take his mum out in her wheelchair but nobody had seen her in a year. They kept themselves to themselves.”

Timeline of events:

1pm, October 5, 2016

A 58-year-old woman living at the house is seen shouting for help from an upstairs window. She is rescued and taken for treatment.

October 28, 2016

Council cleaners arrive to clear the house after complaints about the smell and waste inside but are unable to get into the bathroom.

3pm, October 28, 2016

Firefighters gain access to the room and find Mr Buttle’s body. A private ambulance was seen leaving around five hours later.

January 5, 2017

Police identify Mr Buttle’s remains and say a post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death to be non-suspicious. They could not say what he died from.