14 hours ago
Fly infestation at Belfast flats after body of elderly man lay undiscovered for weeks
The elderly neighbour had been dead for several weeks and his body had decomposed, attracting flies.
A woman has spoken of the 'nightmare' of living above a flat infested with flies.
Atlanta Jackson (24) has been in her Housing Executive property in Dunmurry for almost three years.
Two weeks ago her elderly neighbour's remains were found in his home.
He had been dead for several weeks and his body had decomposed, attracting flies. The death is not being treated as suspicious.
Ms Jackson said: 'A few days before that we'd noticed a really bad smell in our flat, but we didn't really know where it was coming from.
Today's News in 90 Seconds - August 21st
'My mum said the smell was also really bad out in the back garden, so we phoned the Housing Executive.
'Mum then asked if I had seen our neighbour recently. He was elderly and kept himself to himself.
'You would only have seen him every once in a while, and I hadn't seen him for a few weeks, so we wondered if maybe something had happened to him.'
The Housing Executive asked her to check his windows for any sign of him.
She explained: 'It's a block of four flats and I live in the flat above his and across, so I would be in the top left flat and he was on the ground floor and to the right.
'I went and checked outside his flat and the windows were just covered in flies.'
Atlanta Jackson (Photo by Kevin Scott)
The PSNI was called and found the body inside. Officers told her he appeared to have been dead for three or four weeks.
She added: 'We spoke to the Housing Executive and they said someone would come to clear out the flat, but first they wanted to see if there was any next-of-kin, in case they wanted any of the deceased's possessions.
'Then they said there was no next-of-kin. We gave them a few days, but there was still nothing. It's been a nightmare.'
The Housing Executive told the Belfast Telegraph a contractor visited the property on Tuesday morning.
It said: 'Sadly, an elderly tenant died at this property recently and unavoidable legal and investigative processes have had to be followed before the property could be returned for re-let. Those processes have now been concluded.
Thousands of flies in the flat of the pensioner who died (Photo by Kevin Scott)
'Our contractor was present at the property early this morning to carry out the necessary works and the pest infestation has been cleared.
'Our maintenance team are now assessing what further improvement works are required to ensure the property is suitable for reallocation.
'We have also liaised with local representatives in recent days to keep them informed on the situation.'
It comes as the Housing Executive is being investigated by the Public Services Ombudsman over concerns about how it handles complaints.
Ombudsman Margaret Kelly said: 'Access to good quality housing is an essential foundation for maintaining health and well-being and vital for enabling our children to achieve their full potential.
'When public services don't get it right, it is important they have an effective complaints process which can be easily accessed and has a focus on addressing concerns quickly and fairly.'
