ARCHIVED - Body of elderly British hoarder found at her Torrevieja home on the Costa Blanca

Police in the Vega Baja town in Alicante province believe the 82-year-old expat may have been dead for a fortnight

The body of a British woman with severe mobility issues and a 'hoarding' condition known as Diogenes Syndrome has been found at her Torrevieja home.

Neighbours reported a strong smell coming from the property in the Avenida Alfred Noble area of the town and called the police.

A patrol visited the octogenarian's home on Friday October 21 and discovered her body surrounded by tons of belongings and rubbish accumulated over a lengthy period of time. Police believe the deceased, named only as Josephine, may have been laying dead for about a fortnight.

Earlier in the summer, residents living in the area had complained about her regularly sleeping under an umbrella on her street-facing patio and Torrevieja Cruz Roja and social services made regular welfare checks due to her limited mobility.

And for the last seven years, the area's property owners' association – which is trying to track down any of Josephine's family members in the UK – had sent at least a dozen letters to the council urging them to offer the elderly woman day-to-day assistance.

The council said the 82-year-old had received assistance in terms of help with stays in a residence, but that people with no nearby family often turn down official help and no legal action can be taken. 

Also of interest: Deaths from extreme heat tripled on the Costa Blanca this year

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