A policeman died on his way home from work after having a suspected dizzy spell on his motorbike and careering into oncoming traffic, an inquest heard.

Days before the tragic accident on April 28 last year, Inspector Preston Gurr, 53, had told colleagues at Westminster Police about recent dizzy episodes.

The father-of-two, who was due to retire in March this year, had just finished a night shift and was returning to his home in Sutton when he lost control of his trials bike in London Road, Mitcham.

A day before the crash, the Met policeman of 29 years had visited his GP in Mulgrave Road in Sutton complaining of dizzy spells, but tests had revealed nothing.

Mr Gurr's brother, also a Met policeman, was at the inquest at Westminster Coroners Court on Wednesday (January 9) to hear how the driver of a silver Mercedes Benz could have done nothing to avoid Mr Gurr's motorbike as it skidded towards him on a wet Saturday morning at 7.30am.

A witness to the collision, Kevin Antony Gordon, told the inquest that when Mr Gurr lost control of his motorbike, it "was like seeing a rodeo" as he attempted to regain control.

The inquest revealed Mr Gurr died from multiple injuries after his body took the brunt of the impact with the oncoming car.

However, coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox said that as an "acute medical event" had caused him to lose control of his motorbike, and after dismissing the wet conditions and his speed as factors, she would have to record a verdict of natural causes.

Pathologist Michael Heath told the inquest that Mr Gurr's left coronary artery was blocked to 95 per cent which could have caused a "heart rhythm disturbance" which could have caused the dizzy spell as narrowing of the artery "supplies 60 per cent of the blood to the left ventricle".

In a personal tribute to Mr Gurr, Dr Wilcox said: "He will be missed by Westminster, he was a lovely officer whom I had the pleasure of working with."

Police officer Natasha Pink, from Hampton Traffic Garage, also paid tribute and said Mr Gurr had a "wonderful sense of humour" and will be sorely missed by his wife, family and colleagues.