A TEENAGE motorcyclist has died and another rider has been injured in a collision at a notorious accident spot.

Eighteen-year-old Joshua James Holmes suffered multiple injuries when his bike collided head-on with a Volkswagen Polo on the A59 in Gisburn.

His family said that they had been left devastated by Joshua’s death and paid tribute to the former Ivy Bank College student.

And an MP and county councillor also called for a safety review into Burnley Road at Gisburn, which has already been labelled the country’s most dangerous road.

Joshua, who worked as a refrigeration engineer for Marcold Refrigeration of St Annes, was riding with two other motorcyclists when the accident occurred.

A 19-year-old motorcyclist, who was riding close behind, collided with debris from the crash at 10.25pm on Monday. Both riders were thrown from their vehicles.

Joshua was pronounced dead at the scene and the second man was taken to Burnley General Hospital with a suspected broken arm.

Another motorcyclist, who had been riding with them, had been travelling some way behind and avoided the collision.

In a statement Joshua’s parents, Paul Holmes and Kirsty Whitehead, said that they had been left devastated by his death and asked for time to come to terms with their “tragic loss”.

The statement said that Joshua, who had a two-year-old brother, Dean, loved mountain biking and riding motorcycles.

Joshua, who was “very sporty and enjoyed going to the gym and outdoor activities”, was set to start a three-year course in Manchester, studying refrigeration, the statement said.

It added: “Josh made his family very proud and never caused us any trouble. We as a family are devastated by this tragedy.

“He was a very popular, good looking lad."

Lancashire police are now appealing for witnesses to the collision, which happened before a right hand bend close to the entrance of Todber Caravan Park.

Police say that although the speed of the motorcycles will be a line of inquiry, it is not believed that the riders were racing.

The driver of the Polo, a 27-year-old woman from Crawshawbooth, suffered a broken collar bone and her sister, who was the front seat passenger, suffered minor injuries. Both women were taken to Airedale General Hospital.

It is the second accident to take place in the area in a matter of weeks following a fatal crash on the A59 which claimed the life of 17-year-old Daniel Robert Walton, from Halifax.

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans has called for a full review into both the A682 and the A59 to avoid further tragedies. He also said recently released highways funding to be used toward making the roads safer, as well as using funds from speed cameras.

He said: “It just shows you how dangerous the A59, and some of its more dangerous feeder roads, are when we have a 17-year-old dead one week and an 18-year-old dead the next. They had their entire lives ahead of them and we have to act now before any more lives are wasted.

“Whenever we hear of these tragedies, the silence from the authorities is deafening.

“Lancashire County Council recently released an extra £5million which they have split up between areas - why can’t some of that money, with money from speed cameras, be used towards a full review of the roads? How many more lives must be wasted before something is done?

“The speeds could be reduced, the signage could be better and most of these measures are not enormously expensive.”

County councillor Albert Atkinson said the tragedy was “shocking” and agreed the area’s share of the highways funding, due to be discussed at a Ribble Valley Lancashire Local meeting last night, should be spent on safety measures.

He said: “I have already made it clear this road is a priority. It’s the worst road in Europe. It is getting to the point where you hear tragic news every week - it’s carnage. “ Sgt Mick Young, from Eastern Road Policing Unit, said: “I would appeal to anybody who witnessed the collision to contact the police so that the full facts can be investigated. I would particularly like to hear from anybody who saw three motorcycles travelling together between Nelson and Gisburn around 10.15pm on Monday night.”

The A682 was named the most dangerous in the country by the Road Safety Foundation after a study found that almost 100 people killed or seriously injured on the stretch over the past decade.

Anybody with information can contact the Road Policing Unit on 01254 353210 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.