The body of a 65-year-old woman has been found in her home in Rotterdam, nine months after she is thought to have died, local broadcaster RTV Rijnmond said at the weekend.

The woman, who is thought to have died of natural causes, had little contact with her family and neighbours and was not reported missing.

Her body was found in May behind the front door but the local officials kept it secret because they did not want to cause upset in the neighbourhood, an official told RTV Rijnmond

Last year, the remains of a woman who had died 10 years previously were found at a house in Rotterdam. That led to a lot of soul-searching and questions about why no one noticed she had vanished.

Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said it is council policy not to go public with such incidents. ‘Unfortunately, in a big, anonymous city, this sort of thing happens and will continue to do so,’ he told the broadcaster.