Neighbours in Brondesbury are asking how the body of a pensioner who died alone lay undiscovered in his home for up to three months.

Police were called to Streatley Road on September 27 and discovered the man, said to be in his 70s, after forcing entry into the property.

The property, one of three flats in a two storey block, is managed by Network Homes, who began to fumigate the building a week after his body was found and residents complained of the smell, maggots, flies and rats.

The Brondesbury Residents and Tenants (BRAT) took to Twitter on October 2 telling Network Homes the properties were “crawling with rats & maggots” and asking for to help.

They claim the “decomposing body wasn’t found for three months.”

Mary O’Connor, a BRAT member, who belongs to the street’s safer neighbourhood board, said: “I know the man had carers. Earlier this year he was taken away in a stretcher. He must have been very ill to be carried out on a stretcher. It’s very sad.”

When he returned and a housing officer called on the pensioner in July, they got no reply, she said.

Network Homes and Brent Council would not confirm when they last had contact with the man who they would not name, who neighbours have named as Cyril.

A spokesman for Network Homes said: “This is a very sad situation and our thoughts are with the family of the deceased.”

He said since the body was found, the property had been the subject of an ongoing police investigation, so entry was not possible.

He added: “We are now dealing with the pest issue as a matter of urgency.”

Cllr Krupesh Hirani, lead member for community wellbeing at Brent Council, said: “This is a very sad situation. The deceased was known to the council. It would not be appropriate to discuss individual circumstances at this stage because there is an ongoing police investigation. We will, of course, fully cooperate with this and any other investigations.”

A police spokeswoman said: “Police were called at 6:43pm on September 27 to Streatley Road, Brent, in order to carry out a welfare check following reports of a man not seen for some time. After officers forced entry the body of a male aged around 70 was found at the location. The death was deemed non-suspicious and a report has been compiled for the coroner.”