A PENSIONER died of a heart attack at the wheel of his car while on the way to a funeral.

Marcus Horton, 78, stopped at a garage on the outskirts of Melksham to ask for directions to West Wiltshire Crematorium, in Semington, just moments before he died at 12.50pm on Friday.

Police said Mr Horton suffered a heart attack as he left the garage forecourt and his car went straight across the busy A350, up a pavement, through a fence and bush and came to rest in a hedge.

Ralph Dunn, forecourt manager at Nortree Garage in Beanacre Road, where Mr Horton stopped for directions to the crematorium, said: "I was shocked. I could have been the last person who spoke to him before he died."

Mr Dunn drew a map for the 78-year-old on the back of a till receipt. Moments later a police officer came into the shop and said the map had been found on the dead man.

"It was a bit spooky," Mr Dunn said.

"He looked sprightly enough and it wasn't until somebody asked us to call an ambulance that I realised anything had happened.

"It was quite busy on the roads on Friday so it was lucky he didn't crash into anyone."

Wiltshire Air Ambulance arrived at the scene but doctors were unable to revive Mr Horton, who was from Walcot, Swindon.

The road was closed for about 20 minutes, while collision investigators examined the scene.

Pc George Rabczak, central road policing officer at Westbury police station, said officers on the scene suspected the 78-year-old had suffered a heart attack.

This was confirmed after a post-mortem examination was carried out, which recorded heart-related natural causes as the reason for Mr Horton's death. He said it was fortunate nobody else had been involved as the incident could have been much worse.

Pc Rabczac said: "I hate to think what all the other alternatives could be. A group of schoolchildren were in the area and witnessed what was going on.

"The A350 is very busy and what if he had pulled away and suffered the heart attack and driven through the petrol pumps."

Pc Rabczak said it was rare for drivers to collapse and die behind the wheel, although he had attended a number of accidents caused in similar circumstances.