A family plagued by maggots falling into their kitchen were horrified to discover the source was a decomposing body in the flat upstairs.
Mother-of-four Karen Davy was baffled when thousands of the bugs began dropping from the ceiling.
Karen claims the local council failed to take action, so she called the police who broke into the flat upstairs and found a decaying body which had been laying there for a month.
Credit: SWNS
Karen claims Southern Housing has still not cleaned the upstairs flat in East Dulwich, south London - leaving her overrun with the maggots and flies.
Some of the maggots Karen has found in her kitchen Credit: SWNS Credit: SWNS
Karen shares the flat with her teacher husband Tayo and their children Naledi, 15, Caira, 11, Micah, 10 and Ayanda, nine
They first noticed a few maggots on September 17 but returned from a family meal two days later to find hundreds in their kitchen
Karen Davy holds some of the maggots Credit: SWNS
Karen shares the flat with her teacher husband Tayo and their children Naledi, 15, Caira, 11, Micah, 10 and Ayanda, nine.
After several sleepless nights, she began asking neighbours if they were suffering similar problems, and with the help of a caretaker peered into the flat above.
Credit: SWNS
Police broke into the property last week and discovered the body of ex-Gulf War soldier Richard Williams. Karen said she and Tayo tried to block the hole in her ceiling next to her water pipe where the maggots were getting in. But it didn't work.
Credit: SWNS
A spokesman for Southern Housing admitted they hadn't been able to clean the flat above because of the ongoing police investigation. The company has now carried out some pest control treatment in Karen's flat.
Friends of Sergeant Richard Williams said he was a 'generous and caring' former Royal Engineer who dedicated 20 years of his life to serving in the army.
One of his close friends criticised housing association staff for not checking in on him sooner, and said he could have been found earlier had they taken swifter action.
The friend, who did not want to be named, said:
She said he served all over the world - including stints in Jordan and Germany - before he was medically retired a number of years ago.
