'Chauffeur collapses at wheel of car' and dies in Mayfair street as police swoop over poison fears

A man has died on the street in Mayfair after police swooped on one of London's most exclusive areas amid fears he "may have been poisoned".

Specialist police officers scrambled to the scene after reports of a man taken ill on Albemarle Street at around 3.15pm.

The man died at the scene, but there was no evidence to show he had been poisoned, Scotland Yard said in a statement.

A witness told the Standard that emergency workers were called when a chauffeur was found slumped over in a car outside a private member's club.

A protective tent was set up at the scene
Nigel Howard

London Ambulance Service said he had suffered a cardiac arrest.

There are no other reports of people being taken ill, police said.

LAS staff scrambled to the scene to reports of a man taken ill
Nigel Howard

Footage from the scene showed the street, near to Piccadilly in the West End, cordoned off with several ambulances and police cars present.

The area near to shopping hub New Bond Street was initially cordoned off between the junctions with Grafton Street to Stafford Street, eye-witness Dave Mutton reported on Twitter.

It was later reduced to just one end of Albemarle Street - home to a number of high end art galleries.

Albemarle Street: Several ambulances were pictured outside the Royal Institution 
@dbmutton

One pictured shared by Mr Mutton showed police setting up a protective tent near to luxury jewellers House of Garrard.

A spokeswoman for LAS said: "We were called at 3.14pm today to Albemarle Street, Mayfair, to reports of a person in cardiac arrest.

A large area was initially cordoned off 
@dbmutton

"We sent a number of resources to the scene with the first of our medics arriving in five minutes.

"Sadly, despite our efforts, a man died at the scene."

The Metropolitan police said in a statement: "At around 3.15pm on Thursday, June 21, police responded to a call from LAS relating to a man taken ill on Albemarle Street in Mayfair.

"Officers attended the scene. At the location they found a man being treated by the LAS. He was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.

"Due to concerns the victim may have been exposed to a poison, specialist officers attended but found no evidence that would indicate the victim had been poisoned.

"There are no other reports of people being taken ill.

"Cordons were put in place around the area to allow the emergency services to carry out their work."

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