A PENSIONER was found dead after a fire had smouldered in her house for days.

Neighbours alerted the emergency services after spotting blackened windows at Woodside Road, Huncoat.

And now the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has issued a warning after it emerged the 65-year-old widow Jean Winder probably died from the effects of smoke inhalation and did not have a smoke detector fitted in her house.

Leading firefighter John Webster, of Accrington Fire Station, said: "We believe the fire started in the living room of the property and had been smouldering for some days.

"The dead woman was found on her bedroom floor and is thought to have been overcome by fumes, although no smoke detector was fitted to the property.

"The noise of a smoke detector would have alerted her, before the property became smoke-logged, or at the very least alerted neighbours."

The fire came to the attention of neighbours on Saturday, who noticed blackened windows, and now fire fighters are to leaflet homes in the Huncoat area alerting householders to the dangers of not having smoke alarms.

A discarded cigarette is thought to have started the fire.

Mr Webster added: "This would have been a totally different story had a smoke detector been fitted. We can't stress this enough and if people don't have one all they have to do is ring us and we will come and fit one free of charge."

Neighbour Mary Ellis alerted the police when she noticed the blackened windows and had not seen Mrs Winder for a couple of days.

"I became suspicious when I hadn't seen her and rang the police to say I was worried," she said.

"This really is awful. I have known her for thirty years. She kept herself to herself, but was a really good neighbour. This is tragic."