Clayton-le-Woods house collapse: Lancashire Police referred to watchdog

A police force has referred itself to a watchdog after a man died when his house collapsed.

The body of Carl Whalley, 57, was found in the wreckage of the fire-hit home in Clayton-le-Woods, Lancashire, on Friday afternoon.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had received a referral due to police contact with Mr Whalley prior to the blaze.

Lancashire Police said it was continuing to investigate his death.

This includes allegations made by Mr Whalley on social media about a neighbour dispute, the force added.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Whalley's cause of death was smoke inhalation and burns.

Det Ch Inspector Jill Johnston said detectives had been looking through CCTV footage, other digital media and speaking to witnesses.

"For those reasons it may take some time before we are able to give a definitive cause for the fire," she added.

"We continue to investigate suggestions of a neighbour dispute and looking into these forms part of our inquiries."

Emergency services were called to the fire on Kirby Avenue, which was originally treated as a suspected explosion, at about 13:30 BST.

The house collapsed around the time crews arrived and firefighters put out the blaze, which had spread to the property next door.

An investigation was launched, with gas company Cadent later confirming that no fault was found with the gas mains and pipes in the area.

Police have appealed for anyone with information or CCTV footage to come forward.

The IOPC confirmed it would assess "the available information to determine what further action may be required" following the referral by Lancashire Police.

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