The body of a 61-year-old woman was found in a Peckham flat by Metropolitan Police officers, two years after neighbours raised concerns about her welfare.
Police forced entry to the property in St Mary’s Road on 18 February, after residents complained over a balcony door banging open and shut during Storm Eunice.
The woman’s death is not being treated as suspicious, but neighbours said they had repeatedly contacted the property’s owners, Peabody, in 2019 over a “horrendous smell” from the flat.
One woman told MyLondon that residents in the block had complained about the smell 40 to 50 times.
She said: “My son was getting headaches – he was feeling sick. When I was pregnant, I was vomiting all the time. I would ask my neighbours, ‘Can you smell that? Or is it because I am pregnant?'”
A Peabody spokesperson said in a statement sent to Sky News that they “were saddened to learn that our resident has passed away.
“Our dedicated support teams carry out regular welfare checks with people who may be vulnerable. We did make repeated attempts to check on the resident and liaised with the police to try and make contact.
“We are offering support to neighbouring residents who are understandably upset. We are also working closely with the authorities and will investigate all of the circumstances and actions taken in this case.”
A Met Police spokesperson said: “At 19:01hrs on Friday, 18 February police were called to a flat in St Mary’s Road, Peckham.
“Concerns had been raised about the welfare of a woman who lived at the address.
“Officers attended and forced entry. The body of a 61-year-old woman who was deceased was found inside.
“The woman’s death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
https://news.sky.com/story/womans-body-found-in-southeast-london-flat-two-years-after-residents-first-raised-concerns-about-her-welfare-12548536
