THE family of a father-of-three who died in a collision on his way home from work has paid tribute to him.

Carl Sanders, aged 56, was pronounced dead at the scene after his motorcycle collided with a car at the junction of Bury Road and Crompton Way, in Breightmet, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

In a statement, Carl's family said: “Carl was a loving husband to Stella and a proud father of two daughters and a son who are all devastated by his loss. He loved all his extended family and is sadly missed by them.

“He was a keen amateur footballer in his younger days, playing in local teams with his brother Dave and he had a love of cars and motorbikes ever since he was old enough to ride. He was also a big animal lover who helped look after his daughters’ horses.

“Carl was tragically taken from us on his way home from work in the early hours of Sunday morning. He had worked as HGV driver for the Royal Mail for the last 25 years and was returning from a shift when the collision happened.

“We would like to thank the emergency services who helped Carl at the scene; we know that they tried their very best to save him.

“We would also like to appeal to anybody who witnessed the collision to contact the police to pass on any information that they might have to help us get some answers to what happened.

“Thank you to everyone that has sent us such kind messages of support but we would ask that our privacy is respected at this difficult time.”

At around 1.45am on Sunday, a white Ford Fiesta was travelling along Bury Road when it reached the junction of Crompton Way and began to turn.

As it was turning into the junction, it was involved in a collision with Carl's blue Suzuki SV motorcycle.

Due to the impact of the collision, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say they are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision and are keen to speak to anyone with dash cam footage.