‘Decomposing body’ found at block of flats with awful smell | UK | News

Residents at Bronte House in Cardiff city centre have been left deeply troubled after the discovery of a neighbour’s body in his flat, with concerns raised that he may have been deceased for some time. The grim find has resulted in a “foul smell” permeating the building on Newport Road, adding to the distress of those living there.

South Wales Police have confirmed the sudden death of a man at Bronte House on Friday evening (March 21), stating that the circumstances are not suspicious and that the deceased’s next of kin have been notified.

A mother of three residing in the flats described the ordeal as a “horrific situation” which is particularly disturbing for the many families with young children at Bronte House. “It’s horrific,” she said, preferring to stay anonymous.

“There are so many words but none of them can adequately describe, first, the smell and secondly, the horrific oversight in obligation from the landlord.”

The resident criticised Linc Cymru, the housing association managing the property, for not responding to complaints about the odour over the weekend. In response, Linc Cymru has issued an apology for “any upset they have suffered” and pledged to review their procedures to improve their service, reports WalesOnline.

Neighbours began to notice an unusual odour earlier in the week, with one resident recalling: “I thought it may be rubbish piled up by the door but I did start to think earlier this week that it doesn’t just smell like rubbish but something worse.”

The situation escalated on Friday evening when police were alerted about a resident’s welfare and gained entry to a flat. The neighbour described receiving the “sad news” about their neighbour, who was not well-known to them, and being warned that the odour would get “significantly worse”.

As the evening unfolded, the flat’s door remained open for hours while police and the coroner conducted their investigation and eventually removed the body. Residents were later assured by the police that the door had been secured and that the smell would start to dissipate.

Yet, the next morning, the resident reported that the stench was “much worse”. She criticised the securing of the door as “inadequately”, explaining that large gaps allowed the smell to spread through the corridor and into other flats.

Distressed by the situation and concerned for her children’s wellbeing, the resident reached out to Linc Cymru for assistance, highlighting the potential health hazard and the personal distress caused by the inadequate response to the “extremely distressing” event.

The resident expressed her dismay as Linc responded that no deep cleaning could be scheduled until the next working day, Monday, March 24. Despite raising concerns about the door and the lingering odour, she claims to have received no further response except a note stating Linc had visited and would not return over the weekend.

She lamented: “I understand that cleaning crews may not be able to be instructed until Monday but the door being like that is contributing to the problem and they know there is no ventilation in the hallway. [Linc] have an obligation but they don’t seem interested. I’m not surprised unfortunately but I am horrified.”

Compounding her frustration is the fact that she resides on Newport Road, the same location where Linc’s offices are situated. Linc informed WalesOnline that their teams had secured the door by Monday.

Her nine year old child has been distressed, prompting difficult questions the mother feels unequipped to answer. She explained: “I wasn’t able to take her to school on Monday because we’d have to walk through the corridor,” adding, “I didn’t want to do that, drop her off and tell her to have a nice day when she’s been putting out with this.”

A spokesperson for Linc Cymru expressed their condolences, saying: “Our thoughts and sympathies go to everyone affected by these sad events, to the family and friends of the deceased, and to his neighbours who have been affected. We received notice from South Wales Police of their attendance late on Friday night via our out of hours service. They advised that the property had been secured, and no further action was required by us at that time.”

They continued with the assurance that proper procedures were followed, stating: “Normal practice is to wait for confirmation that it is okay to gain access without risk of interfering with any ongoing investigations. Arrangements were made for the property to be inspected and our teams have been on site on Monday to make the door fully secure and to arrange a deep clean of the property. Our neighbourhood team have also spoken with residents who have contacted us and offered full support.”

The spokesperson also acknowledged the impact on the community, apologising for any distress caused: “We fully understand that this has been a difficult weekend for residents and apologise for any upset they have suffered. As is always the case, we will review our processes and actions across the weekend to identify if there was anything we could do better. If anybody living at Bronte House requires any further support, we would urge them to reach out to us directly, we are here to help.”

A representative for South Wales Police confirmed: “South Wales Police can confirm the sudden death of a man found at a flat in Bronte House, Newport Road, Cardiff, on Friday evening (March 21). There are no suspicious circumstances and enquiries are on-going. Next of kin has been informed.

“Officers from the local Neighbourhood Policing Team have visited the flats following concerns raised by residents and the housing provider has also been updated.”