How ex-airline pilot's hoarding habit sparked radiation scare

A former airline pilot's hoarding habit caused his house to become the centre of a radiation scare on Thursday night.  

Alex Tarragon, 97, had left a compass dating back to the Second World war at the property in Hammersmith, West London, which was discovered during a house clearance this week. 

The antique was one of the many items kept in a binbag which a cleaner had discovered in the house and took with him to a scrap dealer.

The compass contained a small amount of non harmful radium which caused a scanner at the scrap yard to detect a material deemed radioactive.

Upon hearing this, the cleaner called the police and specialist officers swarmed the semi-detached property - which is located a 100 yards from a primary school. 

Whilst the house was being searched, neighbours on Bentworth Road were told to stay inside their house. 

But police swiftly stood down from the incident after officers determined there was no threat to anyone. 

Mr Tarragon, whose wife Amy had died earlier that year, had not been in his home for months after ill health meant he was taken into a care home.

Speaking about the former occupants, one neighbour told MailOnline: 'Alex was a lovely man but he did like to hoard stuff. The house and front and back garden were covered with bits and pieces. 

'He said he used to be an airline pilot many years ago and showed me his licence.' 

Another neighbour said his wife Amy, who was in her 90s, died around Christmas last year.

Soon after Mr Tarragon fell ill and was admitted to hospital. He now lives in a care home.

'They did both like to hoard all sorts of stuff but they were a very nice couple,' said his next door neighbour.

'After Amy died you did not see much of Alex. He fell ill and spent time in hospital. He's now in a care home.'

Residents on the street that runs parallel to The Westway - one of the main routes into London - said they were not evacuated as police carried out checks.

The front garden of the property which is owned by a housing association is still piled high with rubbish, including broken pots and a wicker chair.

The cleaner who discovered the antique had been hired to empty the semi-detached council house with a colleague. 

The pair, both working for a private firm, decided to take the rubbish bags to a scrap dealer, who told them they were radioactive. 

One of the cleaners, called George, told the Metro that the couple were 'serious hoarders' who 'hadn't thrown anything away in years', with every room in the property 'filled with items'.

George said: 'I took one load of bin bags and rubbish to the tip and when they scanned it they said I couldn't leave it here because it was radioactive.

'They scanned it in the scrapyard, and anything that goes through it and beeps they don't let you take in.'

The cleaners claimed they can't remember what was in the bags as there was 'so much rubbish' and believed the occupants had been hoarding for 'decades'.

Another neighbour, who was forced to sit outside their house during last night's ordeal, also confirmed that the Tarragons had both been 'really old' and were 'serious hoarders'.

They told the Metro: 'They were very nice people; they were serious hoarders. There place is just full you can't even move in there place.

'They were both really old. The old lady passed away last Christmas and he has been in a home for a few months now.

'Nobody else was living there, I think they must have had their whole life in that house, and it looked like they never threw anything away.'

Specialist officers who are trained to deal with chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear incidents were present at the scene last night - which is situated 100 yards away from Ark Bentworth Primary Academy.

A Met Police spokesperson said: 'We were called after a person found an item they believed contained a harmful/chemical substance – it was checked and found to be safe.

'No further action.'