Motorcyclist, 28, dies after crash on A406 North Circular in Chingford

A 28-year-old motorcyclist has died after a crash on the A406 North Circular near Chingford in the early hours of Sunday 4 October.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at 2.31am to Southend Road, where it meets Walthamstow Avenue, after reports of a collision involving a motorcycle.

Officers went to the scene with the London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance. Despite the efforts of the emergency services, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

No arrests and no other injuries

Police said no one else was reported injured and no arrests had been made. The man's next of kin were being told. He has not been publicly named.

The North Circular was closed in both directions while emergency services dealt with the crash and investigators examined the scene. It is understood the closure lasted several hours.

Footage from the scene later that morning shows a police car parked across the empty carriageway near a footbridge. A forensic tent could be seen further along the road.

Police appeal for witnesses

The Metropolitan Police is asking anyone who saw the crash, or the motorcycle in the moments before it, to come forward. The force is also asking drivers with dashcam footage, and anyone with other information, to get in touch.

Anyone with information can call the police on 101, quoting reference 827/4OCT. To stay anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A busy stretch of the North Circular

The A406 North Circular is one of London's busiest roads. It forms an orbital route through the outer boroughs, from Chiswick and Brentford in the west, through Park Royal, Neasden and the north of the city, to Woodford and Barking in the east.

The Southend Road stretch runs through the Chingford and Highams Park area of Waltham Forest, close to the border with Essex. Even in the early hours it carries heavy traffic, and closures here often send long diversions onto nearby local roads.

In London, fatal crashes are investigated by the Metropolitan Police's specialist road crash investigators. Once the formal identification process is complete, the case usually goes to the coroner for an inquest.

The thoughts of many local people are with the man's family and friends.