AN ELDERLY man was found dead after his neighbours noticed he had not collected the milk from his doorstep.

Harry May, 80, was pronounced deceased at his Victena Road in Fair Oak on April 6, an inquest heard.

His neighbour, who was not named at the hearing, became concerned after noticing the full milk bottles and decided to investigate.

After pulling back a curtain through the letterbox, they saw Mr May collapsed at the bottom of the stairs.

A post mortem report by Dr Belvinder Shoker states the preliminary cause of death as a fractured cervical vertebrae, with ischemic heart disease contributing.

Area coroner Jason Pegg adjourned the full inquest to October 13.