POLICE involved in the pursuit of a man who died at Strensham Services on the M5 last year have been cleared following an investigation.

Kevin Whitchurch, from London, died after the Nissan Micra he was driving crashed near the sliproad for the southbound services at around 12.05am on Sunday, April 24.

Mr Whitchurch's inquest found the 26-year-old died as a result of head injuries received during the collision.

An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation was launched after the death looking at the nature of police contact with Mr Whitchurch prior to the incident, including whether or not they followed the appropriate policies and procedures relating to police pursuits.

Evidence collected as part of the investigation included statements from members of the public and the officers involved, as well as CCTV footage and Airwave transmissions.

The IPCC found that the evidence showed that the pursuit was correctly authorised, and the officers involved conducted the pursuit in accordance with national guidance.

The investigation concluded that officers were justified in attempting to stop Mr Whitchurch’s vehicle due to the dangerous way it was being driven, and the risk his driving posed to himself and other road users.

As a result the IPCC said "no concerns" were identified with the actions of officers involved.

IPCC Associate Commissioner, Guido Liguori, said: “Our thorough investigation confirmed that police vehicles did not make any contact with Mr Whitchurch’s vehicle, and the officers did not cause him to lose control of his vehicle.

“The investigation has not identified any learning or potential policy changes which Gloucestershire Constabulary ought to consider, but we have made a recommendation to the force after discovering that data collected by the police vehicle’s incident data recorder was overwritten by newer data prior to the device being downloaded.”

The IPCC stressed the loss of this data did not impact the investigation as in car CCTV captured vehicle speeds leading up to the incident.

However it did recommend a switch to alternative equipment capable of holding more information, and consider training extra staff who could be called upon to attend scenes and recover data sooner.