A RUNDOWN house where the previous owner lay dead for several weeks has been bought by a council.

Pendle Council had 73 Rainhall Road, Barnoldswick, listed as being vacant and in need of attention, and was trying to trace the owner before police broke into the property on August 4.

The man they were looking for, John Michael Smith, was found dead inside the house and had been for several weeks.

Neighbours had thought he had moved to Skipton, where he was originally from, but members of his family contacted police when they were unable to find him.

Coun David Whipp said the family had agreed to sell the house to the council for its market value, and work would start straight away to bring it up to a standard so it could be sold on again.

He said: "There had been concern over many years about the condition of the property, which was very dilapidated and causing a lot of worry to neighbours.

"It was a sad case - we had been trying to trace Mr Smith for some time but we had come across a lot of difficulties and we had a lot of conflicting information.

"The neighbours had thought he was living with family elsewhere, but all the time he was lying dead in the house.

"Buying it is part of our programme to deal with vacant houses in Pendle, and we are making a lot of good progress. West Craven doesn't have as great a problem as Nelson and Colne with properties being uneco-nomical to renovate, but there are some rotten tooth' properties and we are quite determined to lift the blight on neighbouring households and get these houses up to scratch."

Mr Smith, a former superintendent of Skipton Crematorium, was under-stood to have suffered periods of illness and spent time in hospital since he left his job.

East Lancashire Coroner Richard Taylor has opened and adjourned an inquest.