Police took two hours to find the body of a chronic hoarder who died inside his cluttered bungalow, an inquest has heard.
Andrew Markham was found buried beneath piles of magazines, mail and other objects inside his property in Bishops Walk, Hopton-on-Sea, after neighbours raised the alarm with the police.
An inquest into his death heard officers were alerted by people who were concerned his door appeared to be slightly ajar - but that he had not been seen for some time.
Officers conducting a welfare check on the 67-year-old found the property in a "poor state" with broken panes of glass in the wildly overgrown garden and the door locked.
After gaining access to the property by forcing the door open, officers found the front living room "covered in piles of items six foot high".
Once officers were able to clear a path through the clutter, they discovered Mr Markham's body with "no signs of life".
In a statement provided to the court, police officer Joshua Bell said the door had to be forced open due to the volume of letters and magazines piled behind it.
He said: "It was clear he had been there for some time."
The court heard police investigating at the time were satisfied there were no suspicious circumstances or third party involvement in his death - the cause of which remains a mystery.
It is not clear when Mr Markham was last seen, although his GP confirmed that he received a Covid vaccination in 2021.
One of his neighbours, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "We used to see him a lot, then we didn't see him at all.
"He was very much a loner - you used to get a hello out of him but that was all."
Giving an open conclusion, area coroner Samantha Goward said: "On September 28, police were called to his address due to concerns the property was not secure.
"It was in a very poor state of repair and police found evidence of chronic hoarding to the extent that it took them two hours to clear a pathway to find him deceased.
"There is no evidence of third party involvement and it is not possible to establish how he came by his death."
The bungalow remains empty, with its porch light on and overgrown weeds in the garden.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here