A MAN'S body lay undiscovered and surrounded by dozens of beer cans for up to three weeks.

Police forced their way into Nicholas Gaydon's Cliff Vale flat after a neighbour reported he hadn't been seen for weeks.

Officers discovered the 49-year-old's decomposed body on the sofa with the television still on, an inquest heard yesterday.

And North Staffordshire Coroner's Court was told police found between 40 and 50 beer cans, as well as a bin bag which was also full of cans, in Mr Gaydon's living room in Tattershall Court on October 21 last year.

Sgt Ian Goodwin, who was called to the flat at 5.25pm, added there was also an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts and several empty packets of paracetamol tablets.

But a post-mortem examination could not reveal whether any of those items played a factor in Mr Gaydon's death.

Sgt Goodwin told deputy coroner Anthony Curzon he was satisfied no one else had been involved in the death. He said: "The premises had been securely locked and the door chain was on. There was also a wallet and cash on the table in the room."

Neighbour Austin Adshead alerted police after realising he hadn't seen Mr Gaydon, who had long untidy hair and an unkempt appearance, for six weeks.

He told officers he was worried as his neighbour's car had not moved for three weeks and his mailbox was so full of uncollected letters the postman couldn't fit any more in.

Mr Curzon read out a statement from Mr Gaydon's sister Clare George, from Hanwood, Shrewsbury.

She said her brother moved to Stoke-on-Trent at least 10 years before his death.

As a younger man, he had worked as a builder before studying law and psychology and moving to the Potteries to continue his education.

While he was living in the city he had worked as a driver until he lost his agency work in 2008. In 2007 he had suffered from pneumonia, which had almost killed him and doctors had warned him he must not smoke.

When Mrs George last spoke to her brother two years ago, he said he was being sent for a scan.

But they lost contact after that and he ignored her invitation to come and spend Christmas at her house.

Pathologist Mark Rogerson said it had been impossible to work out the cause of death as the body was too badly decomposed.

But he added: "He had been dead for a week at least."

Dr Rogerson said the deceased's lungs had shown some signs of emphysema and his aorta was furred up, probably as a result of smoking. But the pathologist said neither were likely to have caused Mr Gaydon's death.

Instead he said it was quite likely that, given his medical history, he may have caught pneumonia again.

Mr Curzon recorded an open verdict and said any thoughts must be speculative.

He added: "In this case the evidence points towards a natural death but I can't record that because I just don't know.

"He was obviously a very private gentleman."