A CORONER has appealed to bikers to cut their speed on North Yorkshire's roads after the death of a 31-year-old motorcyclist.

An inquest heard yesterday that speed was almost certainly a factor in the death of Mark Lofthouse, of Leyburn, who was killed when his Suzuki motorcycle collided with a tractor towing a muckspreader on the A684 in the Yorkshire Dales on March 30.

North Yorkshire coroner Geoff Fell said Mr Lofthouse, a married man, had known the road well.

But although he couldn't alter the county's winding roads, he believed bikers should slow down.

"What I would like to change is the speed of some of the motorcyclists who use the county's roads. I would ask them please to slow down," Mr Fell said.

Mr Lofthouse, who died from multiple injuries, is one of 28 bikers who have been killed on the roads of North Yorkshire this year. The death toll is the highest recorded in the county.

Police accident investigator Paul Davenport said if Mr Lofthouse had been riding within the speed limit he probably would have had time to stop before colliding with the tractor, driven by farmer Alwyn Spence, which was blocking both carriageways.

Mr Fell recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Updated: 11:09 Thursday, November 20, 2003