DISABLED pensioner Mary Noble died alone in a kitchen fire in her Bury flat.

Her badly burned body was found by two shocked home care workers. The 65-year-old multiple sclerosis sufferer was still in her wheelchair.

The grim discovery at the ground floor flat in Deal Street happened after the visiting social services staff were alerted by the smoke alarm.

One of them ran to get help while the other entered the flat. She was later taken to hospital suffering from shock and smoke inhalation.

When a fire crew arrived they found the blaze had burned itself out but the flat was smoke logged.

Miss Noble, who was a divorcee, had had multiple sclerosis since she was 17 and had lived alone for some years.

Investigations into the cause of Tuesday evening's fire are continuing. A spokeswoman for Bury Council's Social Services said: "Our two home care workers discovered the blaze when they went to visit the woman."

She declined to name the two women staff members and said they were still upset following the incident.

An inquest into the death will open in Bury today and will be adjourned after formal identification.

Neighbour Terry Reilly (67) and his wife Marjorie (64) lived next door to the dead woman. They said she "kept herself to herself".

Mrs Barbara Platt, scheme manager at the nearby Eastwood Court flats complex, said: "I had known her for around 30 years.

"She had always been an invalid but her condition got worse over the years to the point where she eventually ended up in a wheelchair."

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