I had to force entry to a flat to do a gas safety inspection after giving the required warnings. The gas safety itself is done by a Corgi registered guy from a company we use, accompanied by me as he is entering a flat without the tenant's permission and I'm a responsible, professional social care worker (snort).

Our handyman set about picking the lock (it's cool this bit. I'm hoping to go on a locksmith's course myself soon), but it proved very difficult as the door was locked from the inside. This set alarm bells ringing a bit. The flats have back doors onto a communal balcony but they are rarely used, as the balconies open onto a fire escape with no lift.

We ended up having to kick the door in. I've done, I dunno, maybe thirty or forty of these forced entries and I've never found a body, so although it was on my mind as I went in (and everyone else hung back), I wasn't really expecting it.

I looked to the right through the open door of the bathroom and saw what I can only describe as a clothed skeleton sat on the toilet. I said "Aaaaaargh!" and legged it out of the flat.

I rang the emergency services and the ambulance turned up first, which I suppose is procedure if someone finds a body even if it was pretty obvious it was a dead one. I hadn't really lingered to get a proper look (and fortunately didn't see the body's face), but the paramedic said it was in an advanced state of decomposition. The police turned up next, then the undertaker, and that was that.

The tenant was a woman of about fifty I'd had no dealings with in the past. The neighbours said they'd knocked on her door a few times, but that she was a bit strange and never answered the door to anyone anyway. That could be bollocks - they might feel guilty for not checking, and just lied. People do that.

It's a bit odd, seeing a decomposing body sitting on the toilet. I keep going over it in my head all the time, examining what I saw, involuntarily. I keep trying to remember the smell as well, which wasn't as bad as you'd think (though I suppose the worse was probably over by the time I got there). I don't think this is a way for my head to deal with the trauma or anything, just natural curiosity at an unusual event.

It was horrible, but in a way pretty cool as well. I keep telling everyone about it, and now I'm telling you. It's actually not my first dead body - I saw a few when I was working as a hospital porter, as well as a couple of relatives and friends laid out. I think I've seen enough though now to be honest.

Which is tough shit, as I'm doing more and more forced entries now and will no doubt see a few more. Maybe it's something you can get used to, but I doubt it.