A MAN who was found dead in his flat had died more than three months earlier, an inquest heard.

Terence Osborne's body was found when a locksmith went to change the locks on his ground floor flat in Bond Street, Leigh, on May 5.

The 48-year-old unemployed gardener had leased the one-bedroom flat from the English Churches Housing Group, but they were under the impression he had abandoned it and were in the process of repossessing the flat.

The father-of-two had battled with a serious alcohol problem for the last four years and had tried several times to stop drinking.

Mr Osborne had not seen his English Churches support worker since December 2003 and when a representative from the charity called at his flat, they found mail piled against the door.

They wrote several letters telling him they planned to repossess the property, but received no response.

A locksmith was called in and found a body lying face down in the bathroom, which a forensic dentist later identified as Mr Osborne.

Benefits books showed the last time Mr Osborne had collected benefits was January 15 and the next date they were due was January 28, suggesting he had died between those dates.

A post mortem examination was unable to ascertain an exact cause of death.

Coroner Jennifer Leeming concluded that Mr Osborne had died of natural causes.