CUMBRIA police is to carry out “precautionary” checks on marked police cars after a 47-year-old officer died in a crash on the M6.

Tributes have flooded in this week for Police Constable Nick Dumphreys, with the force’s Chief Constable Michelle Skeer describing him as “an absolute professional”, who always put other people first.

He died on Sunday afternoon after his marked police car left the motorway’s southbound carriageway near Carlisle.

As protocol dictates, the tragedy will be independently investigated by another force - Lancashire Police.

In a statement, Cumbria Police said: “This investigation will entail a forensic examination of the vehicle, a BMW 330d.

“In addition to this, our force will conduct precautionary checks with similar cars on the fleet. This is purely a sensible precautionary measure and not based on the indication of a specific defect or fault.”