Motorbike crash victim named

Mr Bird, 37, of Beach Road, died at the scene when his black Kawasaki motorcycle was in collision with a blue Audi A4 car on the A29 near Arundel.

His family issued a tribute this morning and said the funeral date had not yet been set.

“Words cannot express the grief and sorrow we feel for the loss of our lovely son and brother,” said the family.

“He was kind, generous to a fault and very popular with everyone, young and old. He will be sorely missed.

“He was a very experienced motorcyclist as well as PADI scuba diver, kayak-er, sailor and skier who also loved fishing off the coast near his home in Shoreham.

“Ollie served as cabin crew for Thomas Cook airlines for 10 years. He loved travelling to foreign places and experiencing other cultures.”

The accident occurred at 10.34am, just south of the Murco garage. Mr Bird was travelling north and the Audi, driven by a 69-year-old woman from Pulborough, was travelling south.

Sergeant Rob Baldwin, of the Sussex Road Policing Unit, said: “I would urge any witness we have not yet spoken with to contact us.

“We would particularly like to talk to a group of motorcyclists who were travelling northbound on the A29 at Bury just before the collision occurred and who I believe would have seen what happened.”

Call Sussex Police on 101 or email [email protected] quoting Operation Guardian.