ARTHUR Colclough died alone in a rubbish-strewn council bungalow with no heating or light.

No-one knows how long his body lay undiscovered, but the pensioner had not been seen for several weeks.

Arthur Coclough’s bungalow on Tomlinson Street, Longport

His death came just 11 months after his next door neighbour, Terence Whatmore, passed away in similar circumstances.

After Mr Whatmore died, North Staffordshire coroner Ian Smith called for measures to be taken to make sure others were not left to die in the same way.

Mr Smith asked: "How do we, as a society, make sure the Terence Whatmores of this world do not die as a result of an inability or failure to make contact with people?"

Both men were in their late 70s and living alone in council accommodation in Tomlinson Street, Longport, near Burslem.

Mr Colclough's landlord, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, has said it could not help the pensioner because he did not ask for assistance.

But traumatised residents in the tiny street claim they tried to get help for Mr Colclough because it was clear that he could not look after himself.

Now they want to know why their pleas were ignored.

Mr Colclough was discovered at his council bungalow on Tuesday morning when police forced their way in.

Early indications suggest his body may have lain undiscovered for several weeks inside the property, which had no heating, lighting or hot water.

Alarmed neighbours say they asked Stoke-on-Trent City Council's social services department to help Mr Colclough twice during the past 12 months.

When police entered his home, they reportedly found him lying in the hearth of his living room fireplace, surrounded by discarded rubbish and sacks of rotting refuse.

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "We received calls at about 10.25am on Tuesday from a person living in Tomlinson Street who raised concerns because they had not seen their neighbour for some time. We forced entry to the property, where we found the body of a male, thought to be in his late 70s."

Arthur Coclough’s neighbours, David and Barbara Penkethman

Neighbour David Penkethman, aged 68, said: "Arthur never had any electricity or gas, because he refused to put money in the meter. He would come to us asking us to boil kettles and cook him meals, and we even put money on his meter, but we are just pensioners ourselves.

"Someone should have stepped in and taken over for Arthur's own protection."

MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, Joan Walley, is backing residents' calls for an inquiry.

North Staffordshire Pensioners' Convention campaigner Ian Syme, said: "There are procedures which can be activated to place vulnerable people into care to protect them from themselves, but it seems these people have been left to their deaths."

The Sentinel approached the city council with questions about Mr Colclough's death.

But 24 hours after the request, the authority released a 50-word statement from city council's portfolio holder for adult social care and health, councillor Jean Bowers.

It said: "We are very sorry to hear of Mr Colclough's death and we offer our sympathy. Mr Colclough did not request and was not receiving any care services from the council. The council has no record of contact in recent weeks from neighbours to raise concerns about Mr Colclough."

The council refused to comment further on the case.