Brighton & Hove City Council has apologised after the belongings of a 29-year-old man found dead in temporary council accommodation were binned by council contractors.
Simon Byrne made an appointment with the council to collect the belongings of his brother Chris, who died from a drug overdose, but discovered his lodgings had been cleared out.
A spokesperson for the council apologised for ‘any additional distress and upset’ this caused.
They added that the council no longer used the company involved in the clearing of the property, which took place in 2022.
‘We are confident our current contractors share our expectation that people’s belongings are handled in a sensitive way and, where appropriate, passed to the next of kin,’ they said.
‘We would not comment any further on specific details relating to a person’s death but will always make time to discuss any concerns relatives may have.’
