A KITCHEN porter known affectionately as "grandad" by workmates is at the centre of a murder probe after two bodies were found at a block of flats in Chaddesden.

The body of John David Matthews was found in his flat in Waterford Drive on Sunday - and, yesterday morning, police investigating his death found the body of another man in the flat above.

A 47-year-old man was arrested in Cumbria on suspicion of murder. He was last night being brought to Derbyshire for questioning. Mr Matthews - known as Dave - lived in Waterford Drive and had worked for the past 20 years as a kitchen porter at Darleys restaurant, in Haslams Lane, Darley Abbey.

Co-owner Kathryn Hobson said: "The young staff here called him ‘grandad’ because he was a wise old owl and was a bit of a shoulder to cry on. They’re all very upset about what’s happened."

She said she went to Mr Matthews’ flat on Sunday to see if he was OK after he failed to turn up for work.

She said: "We couldn’t reach him on the phone so went looking for him.

 "We thought he might be unwell so we went round to get him some shopping. We didn’t expect to go on and find him dead."

Fighting back tears, Mrs Hobson said she was stunned to hear the 66-year-old’s death was being treated as murder.

"I just presumed he’d had an accident or a heart attack," she said.

"He was such a nice, simple guy who would do anything for you.

"We’re going to close the restaurant on the day of his funeral because all the staff want to go.

"He was 66 but instead of retiring altogether last year he wanted to stay on part-time. He saw people here as like his family and didn’t want to leave."

West Cumbria police arrested the 47-year-old suspect in Whitehaven yesterday morning on suspicion of murder.

A spokesman said searches for the man were launched in Cumbria at 3.30am.

At 6am, a stun gun was fired in Whitehaven Harbour and the man was arrested. He was taken into custody in Workington. It is understood he is from Derby.

Derbyshire police were arranging for him to be transferred last night to the county for further questioning. A  spokesman said: "Officers attended a flat in Waterford Drive, Chaddesden, at 7.10pm on Sunday, July 25, and discovered the body of a 66-year-old man.

 "Following a post-mortem investigation and other inquiries, police are now treating his death as suspicious and have launched a murder investigation.

"After further inquiries this morning, police discovered the body of another man, believed to be in his 50s, in a flat in the same block. His death is also being treated as suspicious, although it is not yet clear whether the two deaths are connected."

Police remained at the scene making out house-to-house inquiries and forensic examinations well into last night.

Neighbours in Waterford Drive and Belfast Walk spoke of their shock at discovering two men had been found dead in neighbouring flats.

Matthew Hayward, of Waterford Drive, said he had often seen and spoken to both men.

 The 27-year-old said: "Dave was a nice, quiet bloke and he’s always been here.He always said ‘hi’ and, if I saw him when I was walking my dog, he’d always make a fuss of him.

 "I’ve know the other guy almost as long as I’ve lived on this estate, which is about 15 years, and we used to have a drink and sit with other mates outside the old Crown pub.

 "He was a really nice bloke. He lived on his own and was a bit of a loner but I think he had a daughter. It’s an awful thing to happen directly over the road from where you live."

Ann Sharman, 67, who lives opposite the flats, said she had never seen anything like it in the 32 years she had lived there. "It’s very quiet around here most of the time. People keep themselves to themselves largely.

"I saw the police across the road on Sunday morning but they weren’t here for very long. Then they came back again on Thursday night and we wondered what was happening.

"An oldish chap lived in the bottom flat and I just used to see him to wave to.

"I don’t know who lived in the upstairs flat but I know he used to come and go quite a bit."

Another neighbour opposite the flats, Dean Baggaley, 35, who has lived there for five years, said he was surprised by the police activity. "I saw a police car and van at the flats on Sunday. They seemed to come and go quite quickly. I saw people looking in the windows of the flat and heard them say ‘I’ve not seen him around for a while’."

"It’s all a bit of a shock because it’s quite a decent area really."

George Sutton, 73, lived next door and had known Mr Matthews for 15 years.

 He said: "It’s a big shock. I’m very sad. He was an unassuming person. He was quiet and didn’t say a lot but he didn’t harm anyone. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do anything like this to him."

Joan Bernington, 79, lives nearby. She said: "He kept himself to himself but we’ve always had a good impression of him.

 "He’s never bothered anybody else. I’m surprised at everything that’s happened, we’ve lived here 25 years and although we’ve had yobs and problems nothing like this has ever happened before."

After the second body was found, police began an intensive examination of the flats, which are owned by Derby Homes.

A cordon was thrown up around the block of six flats and police remained there overnight.

Maria Murphy, director of housing and customer services at Derby Homes, said: "We are working fully with the police who are leading the investigation. The layout of the flats means three residents have been affected by this incident and they have been offered temporary accommodation over the weekend. We will review this situation on Monday."

At one stage, about 12 police officers were conducting house-to-house inquiries in the immediate area.

Curious onlookers gathered to see what was happening as the word went round that the bodies had been found.

Gerry McKinnon, 56, of Cavan Drive, said: "I knew Mr Matthews slightly but hadn’t seen him for some time.

"This is a terrible thing to happen, especially as originally on Sunday we thought it was an accidental death or suicide.

"Now it has turned out to be murder then that is very shocking for the whole community."

The Rev Wayne Stillwell, vicar of St Mary’s Church, Chaddesden, said he had spoken to the police and offered pastoral care to any family members if required.

He said: "There must be a lot of hurt and our thoughts go out to the families affected.

"It’s quite shocking to have such things happened in the context of normal life and in a normal suburb.

"It’s quite unexpected and most concerning, particularly those living in the immediate area.

Councillor Sara Bolton, who represents the Chaddesden ward, said: "I heard about it on Thursday and reported it to Derby Homes because I was concerned about residents.

"I reported it after I had a call from a constituent and the police said they were investigating. It is a surprising thing and I’m sure the police are doing everything they can to find out what has happened."

As part of the investigation, further inquiries will be conducted today in Waterford Drive.

 Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: "We are still at the early stages of this investigation and we still have many facts and details to establish.

"What I would ask is that if anyone in or around the Waterford Drive area heard or saw anything strange or suspicious in the last week to contact the police. I would like to thank local people for their co-operation and patience so far.

"An incident room has been set up and we are putting specialist resources to the inquiry including our Major Crime Unit, Task Force and a high-visibility presence from our Safer Neighbourhood teams."

Anyone with information should call police on 0345 123 3333 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.