Pensioner lay dead in bed for two YEARS before neighbours noticed him missing

The semi-mummified body of 70-year-old Brian Dean was found by police after neighbours finally became concerned about his welfare.

But it was only when they checked the mail lying on his doormat that they realised he had been dead for two years before anyone noticed.

Recluse: No official alarm was raised over Brian Dean's welfare because all his bills had been paid by direct debit from his bank account

The case yesterday led to calls for people to watch over elderly neighbours as family bonds become weaker.

Neighbours said Mr Dean, a retired engineer, was a recluse who was not married and had no children or other close family.

There had been no obvious cause for concern since he was last seen because utility bills and council tax had all been paid by direct debit from his bank account.

A post mortem revealed he died of natural causes. Residents said they were horrified by the discovery at the two-bedroom terraced house in Huncoat, near Burnley.

Frank Towler, 83, said Mr Dean was a very private man.

'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 the area. 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.'

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

She added: '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.'

A local councillor, Paul Gott, alerted police after residents told him they had not seen Mr Dean in a long time.

He said: '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.'

Phyllis Reade, 62, said: 'It's shocking that communities have broken down to such an extent that people just don't look out for one another these days.

'To die alone is bad enough, but then not to be found for two years is such a dreadful shame.'

Jean Crowther, 88, a retired shorthand typist, said: 'This simply wouldn't have happened in the old days because people would have spoken on the street and asked where he was and the alarm would have been raised.

'There is no sense of community any more. People drive everywhere these days so they don't meet on the street or on the bus and chat like they used to.'

She added: 'It is a shame what has happened, but it is a sign of the times.'

Another resident said: 'This used to be quite a close-knit community and the older residents do look out for each other.

'But times are changing and there isn't the neighbourliness that was once commonplace. People are afraid that it can be mistaken for being nosey.'

When police broke in, they found the pensioner's body in his bed upstairs. Sources said it was in a partially mummified condition.

A sign in the front window of the house asked visitors to use the back door and the rear entrance was heavily protected with large fences and a concrete wall.

Inspector Jill Johnson, of Lancashire Police, 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.'