Bronson Battersby cops were just TWO minutes’ drive away from flat while tragic toddler slowly starved to death

COPS who might have saved Bronson Battersby were just two minutes away from the flat while he starved to death, it has emerged.

The tragic tot died after his father Kenneth suffered a heart attack in their basement flat in Skegness, Lincolnshire, leaving the two-year-old to fend for himself in the dark and cold.

Local police have referred themselves to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) to determine whether there were “any missed opportunities” to prevent the boy’s death.

Bronson’s body along with that of his dad, 60, was discovered on January 9 after social services contacted the cops.

The pair were last seen alive exactly two weeks earlier, on Boxing Day while Kenneth messaged a neighbour the next day.

He is believed to have passed away shortly after.

Social workers visited the property on January 2 and again on January 4 but received no answer at the door.

They called police when they returned a week later and discovered the bodies after being let into the flat.

Now, though, a report from has found that the local police station was little more than a two-minute drive away from the Battersby home.

And social services were just under a 20-minute walk in the other direction.

Preliminary tests have since found that little Bronson died of starvation and dehydration just minutes away from those who might have saved him.

He was found curled up next to the body of his dad.

His mum Sarah Piesse, 43, told The Sun that authorities believed her ex died no earlier than December 29 and criticised social workers for not intervening sooner.

She said: “We have to be able to rely on social workers to keep our children safe.

“They think Kenneth died no earlier than December 29.

“It means if the social worker had pushed to get in when she got no reply on January 2 then Bronson would still have been alive.”

However, Lincolnshire County Council insist that Bronson’s social worker made calls to police when she received no response at the door on January 2 and again two days later.

It was only after she asked for a key from the landlord and discovered the bodies that officers and paramedics arrived on the scene, the council claim.

Regional Director for the IOPC, Derrick Campbell, said: “The harrowing circumstances in which Kenneth and Bronson Battersby died are truly shocking.

“Our sympathies go out to everyone affected by their sad deaths.

“It is appropriate we carry out an independent investigation to consider the police response to any prior welfare concerns that were raised. We will be examining whether there were any missed opportunities by police to check on Mr Battersby and Bronson sooner.

“We will be in contact with Bronson’s mother and Mr Battersby’s family in due course to explain our role and how our investigation will progress.”