A DAY trip to Cleethorpes for 70-year-old Eugene Eric Howie and his biker friends turned to tragedy when he collided with an overtaking car.

Mr Howie, the rider of a 1,000cc Honda, of Albany Road, Woodhall Spa, was overtaking a Vauxhall Vectra driven by Nicholas Pocock, a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy.

Mr Pocock (37), of Meakers Close, Huttoft, near Sutton-on-Sea, was returning from a junior football match with his family when he overtook on the A16 at Ludborough. He crashed side-on into the path of the Honda, which was also overtaking.

The fatal accident happened at 3.44pm on February 10.

A post mortem examination revealed Mr Howie died from multiple injuries, contributed to by ischemic heart disease.

Returning a verdict of accidental death, Louth district coroner Stuart Fisher said: "It was a tragic accident."

He said: "Mr Howie was clearly getting a great deal of enjoyment from his motorcycling."

The coroner said: "It is a difficult situation with the facts. There is a lot of evidence that does not tie in together."

He highlighted the conflicting accounts of fellow bike rider Barry Bee, who described Mr Pocock's overtaking move as "snappy."

He said he did not see Mr Pocock indicating to overtake as he and three other bikers, including Mr Howie, travelled southbound.

But a passenger in Mr Pocock's Vectra, Claire Marks, said the overtake was "slow and smooth".

Returning from a Sutton Rovers football match with his son Matthew and his wife Gale, Mr Pocock said he had indicated to overtake and checked with a right-sided glance.

He said he heard a loud bang.

Crash investigator Pc Mark Brown said marks at the scene showed the Vectra collided side-on with the Honda which careered over to the west verge of the road where the rider struck a concrete post.

He said the Highway Code tells drivers to check the road ahead and to the rear is clear before beginning an overtaking move.