A MOTORCYCLIST who died following a crash near Leominster on Saturday has been named as Paul Carr.

Mr Carr, aged 51, was killed after his blue and white Suzuki motorbike was in collision with a blue Vauxhall Insignia on the A44, near to the turn to Newtown, shortly after 5pm.

His partner, Karen Fisher, 54, was a passenger on the motorbike at the time of the crash.

She sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

Her condition was today described as "serious but stable".

Mr Carr, who was born in Gloucester, also leaves two daughters, Sam and Vicky, and a stepson, Colin, who are all in their 20's.

He also had two grandchildren and was going to be a grandfather for a third time.

Mr Carr, who also lived in Worcester and South Africa, was a handyman and specialised in fitting kitchens.

Paying tribute to him, his brother Stewart Rutherford said that motorbikes "were his life".

"It is a comfort to us that he was killed instantly and that he died doing something he loved," said Mr Rutherford.

"He always said he would never live to be old and this is the way he would have wanted to go.

"He was a real character and we will always remember him for his cheeky grin."

Anyone who witnessed the collision and who has not already spoken to the police is asked to call the Operational Policing Unit at Rubery Police Station on 101, quoting incident number 533-s-030514.