The mummified remains of a Felixstowe man lay undiscovered at his flat in the town for up to six months, an inquest has heard.

An estate agency worker who called at the home of Robert Jackson in Leeward Court, St Andrews Road, about unpaid rent alerted police when they could get no reply on May 27.

Officers who attended and broke into the bedsit found the decomposed remains of Mr Jackson, 57.

Yesterday, an inquest at Bury St Edmunds heard how detectives who examined the flat ruled out any suspicious circumstances.

Mr Jackson, an import clerk, was identified through matching a DNA sample with one from his twin sister.

Detective Sergeant David Davey told the inquest that Mr Jackson was found on a mattress which had been moved onto the floor near two heaters, which may have added to the mummification of the body.

No food was found in the flat except a packet of fish fingers and some crisps and the inquest heard that Mr Jackson had relied on takeaways.

Det Sgt Davey said examination of post which had piled up behind the front door showed that Mr Jackson had stopped opening letters in late November 2015. The inquest heard that family members had last seen Mr Jackson in the summer of 2015 and he had been reclusive.

A post mortem examination had failed to conclusively establish the cause of Mr Jackson’s death.

Assistant Suffolk Coroner Yvonne Blake, who said it was possible that Mr Jackson had been taken suddenly ill, recorded an open conclusion.