THE body of a St Ives man may have been in his flat for TWO WEEKS before it was �discovered by firefighters.

The fire service was called to Roger �Lammas’s home on Thursday for a �suspected chemical incident.

The firefighters broke into the Shakespeare Road flat at about 6pm and discovered the body of the 65-year-old.

A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said Mr Lammas had been forced to stay in his upstairs flat after undergoing an operation in the summer at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge.

He described Mr Lammas as a man who kept himself to himself but had enjoyed fishing.

He said: “I went up to see him once when he came out of hospital. He told me he had been in hospital for a fortnight. I think it was a hip replacement but I cannot be sure.

“His fishing pal could not get in �contact with him, so he called the police, and the fire brigade was called. They used a �ladder to look into the flat then rammed the door.

“They found him on the floor. He had been dead perhaps two weeks.”

A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “We were called at 5.46pm on Thursday, October 14 to a suspected chemical incident.

“We were asked to gain entry by the police. Firefighters then discovered a body.”

A Cambridgeshire police spokesman said the death was not being treated as suspicious.

The Cambridgeshire coroner is appealing for relatives of Mr Lammas to get in contact on 0345 045 1364.