1 February 2013 A COMPULSIVE hoarder was trapped for THIRTY HOURS by a mountain of his own clutter.
Noel Rainer, 85, fell over a 2ft-high mound of paper in his kitchen and couldn’t move.
He was cocooned in a tiny space among the chaotic mess of bags, boxes and piles of debris that left barely an inch of floor space visible at his home, in Halstead, Essex.
He couldn’t reach his nearby phone to call for help.
But he said he had Radio 3 to keep him company as he waited for help to arrive.
He was eventually rescued by cops and firefighters after relatives became concerned.
Mr Rainer, a retired engineer, is thought to have Diogenes syndrome, also known as senile squalor syndrome, which means he can't stop hoarding rubbish.
As he recovered from his ordeal with daughter Cherry, he said: “I had a pile of papers about 2ft high and I just stepped back and fell over backwards.
“My legs were in the air and I was just in a little cocoon. I was just on my own. I knew I would be OK, but it was a bit lonely. I had Radio 3 on the whole time so I kept up with the news.
“The phone was in the distance, but it fell off its hook.
“My daughter couldn’t lift me out, but once the emergency services arrived it was only about five or ten minutes, then we were sitting outside – they were wonderful.”
Daughter Cherry said her “fiercely independent” dad may have Diogenes syndrome, also known as senile squalor syndrome, although it has not been officially diagnosed. It is the term used to describe compulsive hoarding of rubbish.
Mr Rainer was taken to Colchester General Hospital with minor injuries, but is now recovering well.
Meanwhile, professional cleaners have started the tricky task of sorting out his clutter and making the house safer to live in.
Cherry, of Hills Road, Sible Hedingham, Braintee, Essex, said: “It is his own house – he’s not renting it – so nobody had been able to do anything about it. He keeps hold of everything that’s put through the letterbox.
“He buys everything when they are on offer, so he’ll have lots of toilet rolls stored up, then puts them somewhere and can never find them.”
Mr Rainer is a former engineer, tutor and author, and his problems with hoarding have become worse since his retirement and divorce.
Cherry said: “It’s so sad and tragic. He had all these projects he had on the go in his garage. He gave up on them 20 years ago, but he never gave up collecting the raw materials – he says yes to everything.”
The family thanked the medical crews, firefighters and police officers who helped Mr Rainer on January 10.
Ms Rainer said: “Their skill, tact, patience and kindness were outstanding.”