THE post-mortem of a 33-year-old motorist who died after he “drove off the road” near Cirencester, is due to take place later this week.

The man, who has not yet been named by police, died after a fatal incident in the northbound carriageway near to the Dower's Lane junction on Friday morning.

The incident involved a blue Vauxhall Corsa, which is believed to have left the offside lane of the A417 and overturned onto the road below. 

The driver, from Birmingham, was pronounced dead at the scene and his next of kin have been informed.

Cotswold Police Sergeant Garrett Gloyn said: “It’s sad, he’s 33-years-old, he’s got a young family. He was the only vehicle involved; he drove off the road.”

The post-mortem will take place on Wednesday or Thursday, according to a spokesman at Gloucester Coroner's Office. 

Roads in the area were closed for about five hours to allow collision investigators to work at the scene.

Speaking on the day, PC Kurt Ravenhill said: "I am aware that the road closures caused delays for motorists making their normal daily journeys as well as those heading away on holiday, and I would like to thank them for their patience.

"It is important when dealing with incidents of this nature that investigators are able to work carefully and thoroughly to make sure that nothing is missed and this, of course, takes time."

Police investigating the incident would like to hear from anyone who witnessed it or saw the vehicle before the incident occurred.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, or email quoting incident 55 of July 21.