A housing association says it will call in the police more quickly in future after the body of an Oxford woman lay undiscovered for weeks.

An inquest today recorded an open verdict on Valerie Speke, 48, of Falcon Way, Blackbird Leys.

The inquest heard her body was in an advanced state of decomposition and she had been dead for four to six weeks before she was discovered.

Neighbours had alerted Oxford Citizen's Housing Association (Ocha), which owns the property, several weeks before police broke down the door on May 26 last year.

But because the initial alerts were from neighbours Ocha did not call the police. Officers acted after a neighbour called them directly.

Ocha operations director Andrew Smith, speaking after the hearing, said: "We are very sorry for the family's loss. As soon as we were alerted by her neighbours that she had not been seen, we instigated our procedures.

"However, we have no automatic right of access and gaining access for a landlord requires several steps to be taken.

"It is normal practice to wait at least two weeks before taking further action as it is common for residents to go on holiday without telling their neighbours.

"We would normally go to the police earlier, but only if a family member raised concerns. Unfortunately, we had no contact from the family during that time."

He added: "We have reviewed our procedures in light of this incident and will alert the police at an earlier stage, regardless of family contact."

Mrs Speke's son, Darren Harvey, 25, of Witney, criticised Ocha for not clearing the house before he came to collect his mother's belongings.

He said: "I am disgusted and very disappointed. They should act the way they would act if it was their mum."

Mr Smith apologised for failing to clean the property before Mr Harvey's visit and said the association had been let down by a contractor.

He said: "We had issued an order for the property to be prepared prior to the son's visit. Regrettably, the contractor failed to keep the appointment and turned up the day after the visit. We offer him our full apology."

The inquest heard it was not unusual for Mrs Speke not to talk to relatives for long periods.

There was no evidence of trauma, and nothing to suggest she had committed suicide.