FRIENDS of a Hampshire man killed in a collision with a lorry on a Southampton road have been paying tribute to 'one of the most popular men you could ever meet'.

Shannon 'Shaggy' Passingham died after he collided with the articulated lorry on Western Avenue within Southampton Container Terminal as he was riding his bike to work.

Road traffic police, who immediately launched an investigation into the incident, said the accident happened as the lorry turned right into Mr Passingham's path.

The driver of the articulated lorry, from Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, was arrested on suspicion of careless driving but has since been bailed pending further police enquiries.

It is the second fatal accident involving a motorcyclist and a lorry to have happened on Western Avenue in just over a month.

Yesterday members of Millbrook Rugby Football Club led tributes to Mr Passingham, where he was a well-known face having played for the club for 15-years.

One of those was his former 1st team captain Dean Weaver. He said: "I have played with Shaggy for 12-years and his death is a massive loss.

"He was 100 per cent unforgettable and he committed himself to everything he did and everyone he met. I can't tell you how much he will be missed. He was simply a top guy."

He said Mr Passingham had grown up in and around Lordshill in Southampton and had done a lot of banger-racing when he was younger.

The 30-year-old father from Smith Close in Fawley had a long-term partner and a five-year-old daughter.

He had been working as a straddle crane operator and also spent time doing voluntary work in various Hampshire bail hostels.

Hampshire Constabulary appealed for anyone who witnessed the accident, which happened at around 2.20pm on Wednesday, to get in touch with the Totton Roads Policing Unit on 0845 045 4545.