IPCC investigate fatal house blaze

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has announced that it is investigating how South Yorkshire Police responded to concerns about 66-year-old Robert Walton shortly before his death on April 8.

Mr Walton died in a fire on Meadow Street in Laughton Common.

An IPCC spokesperson said that South Yorkshire Police visited Robert Walton at his home on April 7 in response to concerns about his welfare. He was found dead the next day.

The spokesman said: “The investigation will examine the interaction with Mr Walton, how officers dealt with the information they had and whether their decision-making was appropriate in the circumstances.”

Fire crews from Aston Park, Maltby, Rotherham, Mansfield Road and Central stations were called to the scene at about 1.40am.

The fire and the death were not treated as suspicious.

A neighbour on Meadow Street, who asked not to be named, told the Advertiser at the time that Mr Walton was a “decent chap” who had lived in the property for at least 30 years and was not married. The neighbour added that Mr Walton lived alone.