A HOUSING association has pointed to reduced support service funding after the bodies of two elderly residents were found several days after dying in sheltered accommodation.

Magna Housing claimed that support services offered to elderly and vulnerable residents has "changed dramatically" over recent years.

The association confirmed a body of a resident at Fullbrooks in the North Allington area of Bridport and another in the Half Acres area of Sherborne were found several days after the deaths.

A Magna resident who didn't want to be named, told The News: "One of the bodies had already begun decomposing. One of the people who went in and found the body was physically sick.

"We pay over £10 a week for that privilege of someone checking on us and the system clearly doesn't work."

He added: "Hopefully they can now offer the service that they are supposed to.

"A lot of these people are vulnerable and they have mental health issues. We don't have an opportunity of opting out of the service and the charges, so it really is unbelievable that this has been allowed to happen - I think it's disgusting."

Magna said it is important to provide housing and services while ensuring the sheltered housing and support service is affordable to residents.

Barbara Mullan, Magna's head of sheltered housing and support services, said: “The delivery and funding of support services has changed dramatically over recent years, particularly as funds have been reduced, and the service is run on a break-even basis.

“All our sheltered housing residents have support plans in place which set out how they wish to be contacted and how often, according to their individual needs. We contact everyone at least once a week, we record all contact in a register and we take further action if we don’t get a response from them."

She added: “It is very sad that two of our older residents, who lived in sheltered housing, died some days before they were found. One of them, who lived in Sherborne, was hard to engage with and would not allow us in to his property.

“The other, who lived in Bridport, had been referred by us to adult social care as he needed more support than we were able to give. We understood that they were in regular contact with him, although we also kept our agreed level of support with him.”

Dorset County Council said they had not had contact with the person who died in Bridport, but that the individual had "regular contact" with the Community Mental Health Team.