THE wife and daughter of a man killed in a road crash in north Essex yesterday paid tribute to him as police renewed their appeal for witnesses.Richard Bundy was riding along Victoria Hill in Shalford shortly before midday on Friday when he lost control of his grey BMW motorcycle and struck a series of roadside railings.

THE wife and daughter of a man killed in a road crash in north Essex yesterday paid tribute to him as police renewed their appeal for witnesses.

Richard Bundy was riding along Victoria Hill in Shalford shortly before midday on Friday when he lost control of his grey BMW motorcycle and struck a series of roadside railings.

The 54-year-old rider, from Kynaston Road in Braintree, was thrown over the machine's handlebars and landed in Pods Brook, a nearby stream.

Three passing motorists tried to help him before paramedics arrived on the scene and he was taken to Colchester General Hospital by air ambulance, but he later died.

Richard and his 56-year-old wife Amour had moved to Braintree in March 2005 after living and working in South Africa for a period of time.

The British-born man had been married to Amour for 33 years and had two children.

He and his wife lived with their 30-year-old daughter Leanne and her 39-year-old partner Keith, while his 32-year-old son Mike and his 36-year-old wife Laura lived in Folkestone, Kent.

Leanne said: "Dad had a passion for aviation and motorcycling.

"He was very much mechanically-minded and loved to restore old scrap-heap motors in order to bring them to life again."

Richard loved to listen to classical music. While in South Africa, he worked as an air traffic controller.

His wife Amour said: "We will miss him greatly, but as we are a very close, Christian family, we will pull together."

Investigating officer, Pc Alex Southgate, said: "Amour and her family, like us, would like to know how this crash happened.

"I am looking to trace any other motorists who were on the surrounding roads in Shalford between 11.30am-12pm and who may have seen Richard riding along on his bike. They could prove to be crucial witnesses to our investigation."

A post-mortem examination will be carried out on Monday Anyone with information which might help police is asked to contact Bocking Road Policing Unit on 01376 330722.