Biker dies as driver arrested after crash on East Lancs Road

A motorcyclist has died following a crash with a lorry on the East Lancashire Road.

Police were called at 6.35am this morning to reports that a motorbike had collided with a rubbish lorry on the westbound carriageway in East Lancs between Moorgate Road and the junction for the M57.

The driver of the bicycle, a 40-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene.

READ THE FOLLOWING: Police close road near Anfield stadium after ‘building collapse’

READ THE FOLLOWING: The teacher who “had sex” with a schoolboy told him to “stop saying that”, a jury heard

The driver of the garbage truck stopped at the scene and is assisting police with their enquiries. A 33-year-old man, who was driving a third vehicle, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and driving while unfit by drugs. He remains in custody.

The eastbound and westbound carriageways of the East Lancashire Road remain closed and motorists are advised to avoid the area.

Police are also appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision or the movements of the vehicles before the impact to contact them.

Detective Sergeant Andy Roper, Senior Investigating Officer from the Matrix Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family, who must understandably be devastated by what has happened. We will continue to support them and work hard to provide them with answers.

“An investigation into what happened before the collision remains ongoing and we have spoken to a number of witnesses.

“We are also in the process of examining the CCTV and dash cam footage. We would ask anyone traveling along any of the East Lancashire Roads at around 6.30am who saw or heard anything or believes they captured anything on their dash cam to contact us urgently.

“Even if you’re not sure whether your dash cam captured something or not, we’d welcome you to contact us to let us check. We can collect the material in person or send you a link to upload it.”

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call the Matrix Serious Collision Investigation Unit on (0151) 777 5747, email [email protected] or DM @MerPolCC on Twitter quoting reference 24000422504.

Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by subscribing to the Echo Daily newsletter here