THE main road between Brierley and Cinderford was closed for six hours on Sunday after a motorcyclist was killed.

Police closed the road between Nailbridge and Brierley after a 51-year-old Lydbrook man driving a Fiat car collided with a 28-year-old motorcyclist, travelling in the opposite direction, outside Herbert Lodge.

The motorcyclist, from the Swindon area, died at the scene. The driver of the Fiat and three other passengers were taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital for treatment to injuries that were suspected to be a broken arm and a head injury. The injuries were not considered life-threatening.

The motorcyclist is the second person to lose their life at the blackspot since June when a 50-year-old Hereford man died.

Cllr Graham Morgan (Lab, Cinderford West) said: "There is something amiss along that Brierley road and it's not always speed to blame, it could be the road surface. A 50mph speed limit across the Forest would be sensible as there are lots of wild animals who can run out in front of drivers causing them to swerve."

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen the collision and who has not yet spoken to the police, to call them on 101 quoting incident number 169 of 28/09/14.

•A POLICE helicopter spent an hour circling Cinderford on Sunday morning searching for a man who had ran away from paramedics treating him for throat and wrist injuries.

Police were called at 2.20am to look for the 20-year-old when he disappeared from sight on Littledean Hill Road.

A Gloucestershire spokesperson said: "The police helicopter was called in to assist the search and officers also tried to contact the man via his mobile phone. He was eventually found in the High Street and treated at the scene around 3.10am."

A Cinderford resident said: "The sound of the police helicopter was quite loud over our house and they were hovering around for at least half an hour."