Motorcyclist's death prompts police warning

A FATHER killed in a motorbike crash was yesterday named by police as Neville Thomson, 35.

Mr Thomson died when his bike was in a collision with a car on Saturday near his home village of Newmachar, near Aberdeen.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, on the A947 Aberdeen-to-Banff Road, following the crash, which happened at 3:15pm. Two people in the Volkswagen car were unhurt.

Mr Thomson is thought to have died less than a mile from his home and near the spot of another fatal accident last year.

Sergeant Graham Sloan, of Grampian Police, said: "I am not in a position to comment on the cause of the collision at this time but again we are dealing with the needless loss of life on our roads.

"This young father has died, probably within a mile of his home. Tragically, it's almost a year to the day when another motor-cyclist similarly lost his life at the same location."

Jonathan Sheed, 26, of East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, died last March after his bike collided with a car on the A947.

An inquiry into the latest accident is under way.

Sgt Sloan, of the roads policing unit at Inverurie, said: "With the weather now starting to get better, motorcyclists will be returning to the roads and only last week we published our 'bike safe' campaign to provide training inputs to motorcyclists over the summer.

"Motorcyclists are vulnerable on our roads and I would urge them and other motorists to exercise caution.

"Our inquiries are continuing at this time and I ask anyone who witnessed the collision who has not been spoken to by the police to come forward."