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An investigation has been launched after a man was found dead in police custody.

Officers found the man unresponsive in his cell at the Windmill Road custody suite in Croydon at 12:30am on Friday after he became unwell.

They entered the cell, conducted first aid and requested emergency support from the London Ambulance Service.

Paramedics took over medical treatment, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene at 01:17am.

The man had been arrested in Croydon at 1.05am on Tuesday, August 19 on a no-bail warrant issued by Croydon Magistrates' Court after failing to appear on charges of being drunk and disorderly.

While in custody, he was attended to by a healthcare professional and received regular welfare and observation checks.

The man was found unresponsive in his cell at the Windmill Road custody suite in Croydon at 12:30 am on Friday

As a customary measure, the Metropolitan Police Service's Directorate of Professional Standards was notified and a mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is now carrying out an independent investigation.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman, said: 'Our thoughts are with the man's family and loved ones following his tragic death.

'The full circumstances of this death in custody will now be independently examined and we are providing our fullest support to that IOPC investigation.'