Police watchdog probes death of lorry driver arrested after A1 crash

The man collapsed as he was being taken into custody at Grantham police station

The police watchdog is investigating the death of a lorry driver who was arrested after a crash in Lincolnshire.

The 51-year-old man was taken into custody on suspicion of drink-driving after his lorry left the A1 and ploughed through a hedgerow at Colsterworth on 21 December last year.

He collapsed at Grantham police station and was pronounced dead at hospital.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) opened an inquiry after a referral from Lincolnshire Police.

The watchdog said it was "investigating the actions of police" before the man's death and all officers involved were "being treated as witnesses at this stage".

Officers arrested the driver after his heavy goods vehicle left the southbound A1 and came to a rest in a field.

He collapsed as he was being booked into custody at the police station around two hours later, the IOPC said.

A spokesperson for the watchdog said officers and a healthcare professional provided basic first aid before an ambulance arrived.

Paramedics took the man to Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham shortly after 18:00 GMT but he was pronounced dead at 20:40 that evening.

The crash happened on the A1 near Colsterworth

A post-mortem examination was held on 29 December but no cause of death has been given and the IOPC said further tests were being carried out.

The watchdog said its investigators were reviewing dashcam footage from the scene of the crash and CCTV footage from the custody suite.

Derrick Campbell, Regional Director of the IOPC, said: "We have been in contact with the man's wife and family to express our sympathies for their loss and to explain our role.

"Where someone has died after being taken into police custody, it is important that all the circumstances are independently and impartially examined. We are looking at whether the arrest and detention were carried out in line with relevant local and national police policy and procedure, and whether the care provided in custody was appropriate."

On Monday the Lincolnshire coroner opened and adjourned an inquest into the man's death.