The death of Robert Alton was devastating, the chief executive of Bolton at Home said, as the council issued a statement of its own on the tragedy.

In March, Mr Alton was discovered at an address on Hemsworth Road, close to the town centre, around six years after he is thought to have died.

The address belonged to Bolton at Home, the borough's biggest housing association with more than 18,000 properties to its name, whose representatives were the ones to make the discovery after accessing it to check for gas safety.

In an exclusive interview with the Bolton News this week, chief executive Noel Sharpe said the death of Mr Alton was devastating for all involved.

Previously, she said the borough's biggest housing association should have realised there was something wrong when it could not contact the tenant.

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Ms Sharpe said: "It was a devastating case whichever way you look at it. It was devastating for the community, devastating for us as a landlord and a sad indictment of society in general the gentleman died and it was not noticed.

"It's probably one of the ones to hit us all hardest from the emotional aspect, from the human aspect."

Bolton at Home is making a number of changes to its policies, some of them prior to the discovery. 

In fact, this is why Mr Alton was discovered. If the housing association cannot contact a tenant to check for gas safety, it is seeking access immediately rather than stopping the gas supply remotely. 

Ms Sharpe said: "At the time the view was we won't go for warrant to enter someone's home to disconnect the gas because it's possible to disconnect the gas without breaking into someone's home.

"Now the view is we will go for the warrant. To a degree it's in the hands of the court to make the judgment but we've decided it's better to be sure we've made absolutely every effort to get into the property."

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Meanwhile Bolton Council made a statement of its own on the tragedy.

It is reviewing its involvement for "any potential missed opportunities".

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: "This is a tragic case which has had a profound impact on the whole Bolton community. We are currently reviewing Mr Alton’s account to identify any potential missed opportunities to act sooner.

"Pending the outcome of this review, appropriate additional measures will be put in place with a view to preventing similar tragic cases in the future."

After an inquest into the death this month, coroner Peter Sigee came to an open conclusion. There are no suspicious circumstances.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.