The body of a vulnerable man who died in sheltered housing was discovered up to a week later when a neighbour complained of a bad smell.

William Veitch, 60, was found dead in his flat at Elmwood Court in Battersea Park Road on April 26, his inquest heard on Tuesday.

When no-one had seen him for eight days, a neighbour asked the warden to force entry to his flat because of the stench wafting out.

PC Robert Offord, who arrived at 11.35am, told Westminster Coroner’s Court: “I instantly noticed a smell of decomposing – there was a very bad smell.

“The paramedic told me the person was deceased. I asked him to show me where Mr Veitch was. He went into the bathroom and I could see that he was by the toilet.”

The court heard how Mr Veitch had lived in the flats, run by the Peabody Trust, for two years and had long-term mental and physical problems.

He had an opiate addiction of more than 20 years and suffered from chronic schizophrenia and chronic obstructive lung disease.

But in a statement read out to the court, Sima Aram, his warden, said Mr Veitch had declined support from staff.

Police investigations found no evidence of a struggle, as there were no injuries and the front door was locked.

A post mortem examination showed he died from necrotizing pneumonia, but he also had significant amounts of methadone in his blood.

The drug, which was helping to relieve his opiate addiction, was present at 1.1 milligrams per kilogram, a toxicology report showed.

Dr Anthony Barton, coroner, paid condolences to family and friends of the Edinburgh-born man.

He said: “This is a long-standing opiate addict, who was on methadone treatment and was found dead.”

He added: “I will record a verdict of accidental death.”