Footage of dead biker to be shown

A film featuring footage of a motorcyclist "pulling a wheelie" on a Shropshire road seconds before he lost control and died in a crash will be screened in front of hundreds of bikers today.

The five-minute safety film, produced by West Mercia Police with permission from the victim's family, is to be shown to thousands of motorcyclists who attend a weekly rally at the Stormy Petrel pub in Tern Hill, near Market Drayton.

Chris Burrell, 44, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, was killed last June when he crashed into an oncoming car on the A41 at Tern Hill while performing a wheelie in front of hundreds of people.

The father-of-two was a regular at the Thursday night meets at the Stormy Petrel.

The police film, entitled Dying for a Ride?, also features an emotional plea from his daughters urging other motorcyclists not to make the same mistake as their father.

It will be shown outside the Stormy Petrel for the first time tonight.

Officers will continue to screen it at meets during the summer.

The film is narrated by bike racer Ben Wylie, the 2007/8 British Supersport rider, who is also backing the call for safe biking on the roads.

Mr Burrell's two-week-old Suzuki GSX-R 1000 bike, which was severely damaged, will also be displayed at meets throughout the summer.