A MOTORIST who died at the wheel of his van had suffered acute heart failure, police said yesterday.

Andrew Todd, 54, of College View, Esh Winning, near Durham, was found dead in his Ford Transit pick- up after it left Peth Lane, at its junction with Langley Lane, in Burnhope, County Durham.

There were no other vehicles involved in the incident, at about noon on Wednesday, and the pick-up ended up in a field.

Initially, police were unsure whether Mr Todd died as a result of a traffic accident or illness. But a post mortem examination, carried out yesterday afternoon, confirmed heart failure.