SPANISH police have been accused of throwing up a "wall of silence" over the death of Blackburn grandfather Joseph McCaughran, who died after tackling burglars at his holiday home.

Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw is personally monitoring the case because of the concern.

However, he said yesterday that he was now happy the matter was being dealt with and added all police forces were cautious in the early stages of a case.

The English-language Costa Blanca News, which covers the Torrevieja area where 69-year-old Mr McCaughran was staying, said inquiries in Spain had met with silence.

The first the Spanish media knew of the incident was when the Lancashire Evening Telegraph broke the story, leading to calls for the police to be more open.

Journalist Tom Caine said an unofficial Guardia Civil source finally confirmed the case was under investigation but refused further details.

He went on to reveal that the death of Mr McCaughran, who lived on Walden Road, Wilpshire, had raised disturbing questions on police silence relating to an increasing wave of crime on the southern Costa Blanca.

The same Guardia Civil source told his newspaper: "The force is grossly undermanned and we are stretched to the limit. "Although I am not aware of any official policy to play down the incidence of crime, it may be that someone has taken the decision for political reasons.

"In this case, it seems to have backfired."

Jack Straw has written letters to McCaughran's widow Sheila to assure her action was being taken.

He planned to visit the family this weekend to discuss the case.

He said: "The judicial police in Torrevieja are in charge of the investigation and have promised to keep the British Consulate in Alicante informed.

"I will contact the family and discuss what action needs to be taken regarding the investigation.

"As far as I am aware the consulate has reported no problem in their dealings with the investigating police.

"It is not unusual for police forces to be cautious in the early stages of any case."

Mr McCaughran died on June 28, nine days after he had tackled burglars at his Torrevieja apartment.

One raider had grabbed items including a camcorder containing a video of his four-month-old grandson Jack

Retired BT worker Mr McCaughran, on holiday with his daughter Kelly and her fiance Stephen Maguire, as well as wife Sheila and baby Jack, chased the thief to a car driven by an accomplice.

He grabbed the handle and was dragged along as it sped off. Mr McCaughran was admitted to a local hospital for surgery to remove a massive blood clot from his brain.

He died nine days later.