South Yorkshire Police motorcycle officer dies in crash

BBC Scene of crash in Nether Lane, EcclesfieldBBC
Nether Lane in Ecclesfield was sealed off while police investigated the collision

A police motorcyclist has died in a crash while on duty.

The officer's marked bike was in collision with a blue Toyota Avensis on Nether Lane in Ecclesfield, Sheffield, at about 13:00 BST on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old officer, who had been responding to reports of a silver BMW failing to stop, was pronounced dead at the scene, South Yorkshire Police said.

The driver of the Toyota, a 59-year-old man, was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Reacting to the news on Twitter, Home Secretary Priti Patel posted: "The saddest news. Deeply tragic and my thoughts are with the family of this distinguished officer."

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Other police forces also paid tribute to the officer.

In a tweet, Cheshire Police said: "All of our thoughts are with the officer's family, friends and colleagues at South Yorkshire Police at this time."

The Metropolitan Police Federation tweeted: "Very sad news as South Yorkshire Police tonight confirm the on-duty death of an officer. Our thoughts are with the officer's family, friends and colleagues."

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Police have appealed for witnesses, or anyone who has information about the crash, to contact 101.

Dashcam or CCTV footage that might assist can be sent to [email protected].

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].