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A man collapsed and died after being arrested for not paying his council tax.

Steve Bore, 31, was awoken by two officers who arrived at night to arrest him at a friend’s houseboat.

He was thought to have fallen from the jetty on to a muddy embankment and then appeared to have a fit.

An ambulance was called shortly after midnight on Sunday but he was pronounced dead in Basildon General Hospital two hours later.

A caravan resident at Smallgains Marina, on Canvey Island, Essex, said: “He has epilepsy, I believe.

"Police came in the night and dragged him out of bed.”

The officers were on duty yesterday.

A postmortem was inconclusive and a probe has been launched by the Police Complaints Commission.

IPCC Commissioner, Mary Cunneen said: "I would like to extend my condolences to Mr Bore’s family and friends at this very difficult time.

"It is vital when someone dies in the custody of the police that an investigation is conducted independently of the force involved.

"I will ensure that we do all within our power to provide answers to the many questions that arise from this tragic and premature death.”