A MOTORCYCLIST and a pedestrian died in a collision on the A40 dual carriageway at Whitchurch last night.

The crash happened between the westbound turn off for Whitchurch village and Symonds Yat Spar Services around 8.10pm.

A man in his 20s who was riding a red Yamaha motorbike and a male pedestrian in his 30s were both declared dead at the scene.

The road between Monmouth and Ross was closed for eight hours while emergency services cleared the scene, and reopened shortly after 4am following repairs to the west bound carriageway.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “On arrival, crews found a motorcyclist who had suffered very serious injuries.

"Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done and he was confirmed dead at the scene.

“A short distance away a second man was found, and again, sadly, nothing could be done to help him and he was also confirmed dead at the scene.”

The next of kin of both victims have been informed and a file will be prepared for the coroner, said West Mercia Police.

Officers say it is thought the bike collided with the pedestrian, and want to speak with any witnesses or anyone who has dashcam footage of the crash.

Anyone with information is asked to call West Mercia Police on 101 quoting incident number 700S of 27 September.