Three bikers in incident at icy road junction

THREE bikers have fallen on an icy road and one left with a fractured spine.

The incident took place at 8am yesterday at the Tesco roundabout at Woolwell.

A council spokesman said the roads had been gritted on Monday night and after another inspection yesterday morning it was confirmed another gritting run was not required.

Andrew Martin, one of the bikers involved, said he is considering seeking legal advice after injuring his back.

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He was leaving Tesco where he works as a security guard to return home to Milehouse.

"I left work at 8am and a motorcycle was on the road and there was someone else further down the road," he said.

Mr Martin was taken away in an ambulance following his injuries. He said he later discharged himself from Derriford Hospital and recovered at his parents' home in Honicknowle.

"I can't afford to take time off," he said. My bike is still there now, I can't go and collect it because of my back."

Mr Martin said he believes he has written his bike off. He says a gritter arrived at the roundabout after the crash.

A Plymouth City Council spokeswoman said: "All precautionary steps were taken. Woolwell Road and the roundabout were gritted on Monday night as part of a full gritting run.

"We have a rigorous protocol in place to judge where ice is likely to form on the road network. When the forecast indicates it is unlikely to be cold enough for the road to be icy we will still inspect known cold spots.

"This procedure was carried out on Tuesday morning and there were no incidents of ice in those areas, therefore a second overall gritting run wasn't required.

"However, as soon as we had reports of ice in the unusual location of Woolwell roundabout a gritter was sent out. This location will now be monitored to assess whether it needs to be added to the regular list of inspection spots."

Ian Miller was the first biker who fell victim to the icy conditions at 6.55am.

He said his fall caused "a couple of hundred pounds" of damage to his bike. Ian called his father David and the pair flagged down riders approaching the roundabout to avert more accidents until the police arrived.