Damage as body removed

Firefighters and council workers had to use use a crane to recover the body of a Shropshire man who died at his home.

Mother-of-two Michelle Cross, 32, found her husband Peter, 49, dead in bed at the family home in Cockshutt earlier this month. He died of natural causes.

But the widow is not only struggling to come to terms with the loss of her husband, she is also furious after being left with a daily reminder of the ordeal.

Due to Mr Cross’s large size, firefighters and council workers had to take out the bedroom window in order for his body to be removed. It took six men to lift him.

The family are angry that repairs to their council house have not yet been carried out since the incident on March 3. The bedroom window remains boarded up and a hole has been left in the roof where an earlier attempt to move Mr Cross was aborted.

Mrs Cross received a letter from North Shropshire District Council saying works would be completed by March 27. She said she had found the delay distressing.

She said: “They tried to take him through the roof with a crane, but in the end they cut out the window. It was very traumatic, we had to stay next door while it was done.

“When we came back I could see the damage caused in the bedroom, it was a mess and I was crying. Every time I see it I am reminded of what happened.

“I would have expected the work to have been sorted out straight away.”

North Shropshire District Council spokeswoman Rian Bentley said the authority appreciated the delicacy of the situation and would get the work done as quickly as possible.

She said: “We are hoping to get someone out within the next day or two.”