forensic

Detectives said it could take months to establish how the residents died, while they awaited the results of "detailed forensic submissions and analysis".

Being submerged in the water for so long had erased any chance of forensic clues that might help police.

Then, six to nine months later, he said there is a request for more information which often involves 50-150 further questions that can only be answered by the likes of a forensic accountant.

"We saw about a dozen or so people in white forensic suits, and there were a few guys in suits too who I assume were detectives."

After that success, he went on to create the drama Silent Witness in 1996, which follows forensic pathologists and scientists investigating crimes and trying to catch the people responsible.