A Shropshire man who collapsed and died while being arrested by police claimed he was going to be killed moments before his death, witnesses said today.

The man in his 30s, from the St Georges area of Telford, collapsed and died in Sambrook Crescent in Market Drayton at 5.30pm on Saturday.

Neighbours said they heard the man, who has not yet been named, shouting claims that “they are going to kill me”.

It is understood that he entered a house in Sambrook Crescent and police were called.

Neighbours said the owners of the property where the man was minutes before his death were away on holiday.

Residents of the detached properties said they did not know the man who died.

It is understood he is from St Georges in Telford and detectives are trying to establish why the man was in Market Drayton.

Eye witnesses claim they saw the man running down the street shouting “call the police they are going to kill me”.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “I heard that the man pulled a motorbike out of the canal prior to running down the street, shouting ‘call the police they are going to kill me’.

Another resident said he saw the man’s body on the ground and police and paramedics were at the scene.

West Mercia police has referred the incident to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which will lead the investigation.

Officers were called to Sambrook Crescent to reports of a disturbance.

Inspector Dave McWilliam, from West Mercia police’s Shropshire Division, said when they arrived at the scene officers detained a man but, before they were able to take him from the area, he collapsed.

A post mortem was carried out yesterday, but police have not yet released the results of the tests.

Police today said they wanted to hear from anyone who saw the man between 3.30pm and 5.30pm.

He was white, in his late 30s, tall and of quite a large build with shaven hair. He was wearing a blue t-shirt.