A BIKE lover has been killed after his machine collided with a car.

John Sutcliffe, 51, who had worked in the industrial coatings business of Akzo Nobel, formerly Crown Paints, in Darwen, since leaving school, was out for an afternoon ride when the collision happened on the A59 Skipton to Gisburn road in Skipton.

His sister-in-law, Sandra Chapman, of Fairfield Avenue, Waterfoot, said John's wife, Susan, 52, and two children, Kim, 28, and John, 18, were shocked and devastated by his death.

Sandra, 65, said John, of Dale Avenue, Todmorden, loved motorbikes and had ridden them for many years.

She said: "Motorbikes were his joy. He was an experienced rider and was always really careful.

"Susan normally went out with him on the back of the bike, but she had told him she was too tired to go on Sunday.

"It's very lucky that she wasn't there as well.

"Susan, Kim and John are absolutely devastated. Friends and family are rallying round to support them."

Sandra added: "John was a lovely man who would do anything for anyone.

"He will be sadly missed by a lot of people."

John Bowland, managing director at Akzo Nobel, said: "I worked personally with John for over 25 years and he had been with the company even longer than that.

"He was a very popular man and we have had a lot of emails and letters from colleagues expressing their regret."

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said they were called to a road traffic collision on the A59 Skipton to Gisburn Road at East Marton at 6.55pm on Sunday.

She said: "A grey Suzuki motorcycle travelling towards Gisburn was in collision with a red Vauxhall Zafira people carrier travelling in the opposite direction.

"The motorcyclist sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene."

The funeral is on Friday afternoon at St Mary's, Todmorden, followed by a cremation at Burnley Crematorium.