A WYRE PIDDLE woman is hoping to put the brakes on motorcyclist deaths by urging lorry drivers not to overfill their tanks with diesel.

Lyn Kirk, from Ryelands, is calling for drivers to put less fuel in their vehicles as temperatures soar.

Mrs Kirk said: "When you drive a car you don't notice the amount of diesel on the roads which is result of lorries filling their tanks to the maximum capacity. In the warm weather, the fuel expands, resulting in leakages onto the roads.

"This becomes a potential hazard for bike riders like myself who enjoy riding in the summer. It's like riding on an ice rink and can result in death."

The keen biker was involved in a bike accident a couple of weeks ago in Mill Bank, Evesham, after skidding on fuel lying on the road surface.

"I'd like companies to actually encourage their lorry drivers to fill their tanks with less fuel as most of it seems to leak onto our roads causing a great financial loss while leading to a biker losing their life, " she added.

Worcestershire County Council's highways agency spokesman David Lavender said: "We're aware of the amount of fuel on the roads surfaces of Wyre Piddle and have laid down sand to prevent any accidents occurring. We have also put up roads signs warning drivers and bikers of the potential dangers present."

British Motoring Federation's government liaison executive Richard Olliffe said: "There is a problem with necking, with vehicles leaking fuel on the roads making it difficult for motorcyclists. The BMF have been campaigning for three years to erase this problem with our Kill Spills campaign. But I have to say the problems doesn't lie with vehicle operators it's with people that hire three and a half tonne lorries and overfill their tanks."