A woman's skeleton remains have been found in a London flat after neighbours had complained of a foul stench for the last two years.
Police have confirmed the body of a 61-year-old were discovered in Peckham on Friday.
Locals on Sunday said the victim owed thousands of pounds in rent and her letter box was overflowing.
Neighbours say they began complaining to the housing association landlord about a 'foul smell" in the building in October 2019.
But it wasn't until earlier this week that officers finally forced the door and found the woman had died.
A young woman who lives next door said: "It's disgusting and I'm just shocked. I have been living here since 2008.
"It's a small three story complex. I didn't know her very well, but she would sometime collect my deliveries for me.
"I came back from a trip abroad in September or October 2019 when I noticed a horrific stench in the building.
"It was so bad, I had to put a towel under the door."
Neighbours became increasingly concerned when her mail began piling up and a forced entry notice for a routine gas check appeared on her door in 2020.
The neighbour said: "We repeatedly called the housing association because it was weird - her letter box full and I could see from the letters she hadn't been paying rent.
"I called them up again and said I hadn't seen this lady in months.
"The police came but they said lots of people had moved out of London during the pandemic and she could be abroad."
A bike was abandoned in front of her door a short while later and again neighbours complained after it wasn't removed.
They say police attended the property on several occasions but did not break down the door until earlier this week when they discovered the woman's body.
The neighbour said: "Finally yesterday [18 Feb] the police came after someone called and complained about the smell again.
"They broke down the door and it revealed what I had feared the whole time - that she was dead.
"They told me she was basically a skeleton and asked me to confirm her ethnicity."
A 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."
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