A family who bought a house in west Wales have described their horror at discovering a body was buried in their back garden.

Margaret Kiely and her son Paul moved to Llanglydwen in Carmarthenshire from Leicester just over a year ago.

I felt like there was no need for them to know

Barbara Vessey

They learned, after arriving, that the body of the previous owner, Norman Vessey, was in the ground near the house.

He had been buried there, legally, by his wife, Barbara who had not told the estate agent when she sold the property.

She had arranged a home burial and said she was surprised at how cheap and easy it was to organise.

Mrs Vessey, who now lives in mid Wales said: "I felt like there was no need for them to know.

"It was something that was in the past and over.

"I left my favourite dog and other animals.

"It's just a body which is finished with. I didn't think of Norman being here.

"I didn't give it a thought until the house was on the market and a friend asked me how I would feel leaving Norman behind."

Norman Vessey: body exhumed

Mrs Kiely and her son had to obtain a Home Office licence and pay a �650 bill to have Mr Vessey's body exhumed and cremated.

But a digger they hired could not find the body so Paul Kiely had use his shovel.

He said the experience was very disturbing.

"It was easily unearthed and it was in very good condition," he said.

"It had hardly deteriorated in anyway at all and it seemed to be mummified.

Horror

"It was a very traumatic thing to unearth and I still see it now."

Mrs Kiely said the experience was not one she would forget: "I was absolutely horrified.

"I just took one look and came back in the house, I put all the lights on and all the lights remained on in every room.

"I was frightened to death."

The full story is revealed in BBC Wales's current affairs programme Week In Week Out on Tuesday at 2035 GMT.