A police watchdog has stopped investigating a serious crash in which a young man came off his motorcycle just moments after fleeing from officers.

The man, from West Sussex, rode off from officers in Chichester on Wednesday at about 3.50pm.

They had indicated him to stop because he was not wearing a helmet.

But just moments later in Market Place he came off his bike and suffered serious injuries, initially suspected to be life-threatening. Yesterday a Sussex Police spokesman said: "The Independent Police Complaints Commission has determined that this incident is returned to Sussex Police for local investigation.

"The rider of the motorcycle has now been transferred to a ward at Kings College Hospital in London. His condition is improving and no longer life-threatening."