A 62-year-old man is to be prosecuted over an accident in which a Preston motorcyclist died, an inquest was told.

The move was revealed as witnesses told of the moment caretaker, George Johnson, 54, was "thrown into the air" on the A59 at Clitheroe on a Sunday afternoon last month.

Mr Johnson, who lived on site at St Catherine's Hospice, Lostock Hall, was returning home from a regular bike trip with friends at about 3pm when his Honda motorbike collided with a Vauxhall Astra van.

PC Stephen Wilson said the van, driven by Burnley man, John Webster, came off the Pimlico link road and turned right into the path of the biker who was heading in the direction of Preston.

Coroner's officer Lynne Farnworth said: "The Crown Prosecution service has decided that the driver will face prosecution."

After the hearing at the Registrars Office, Blackburn, on Thursday, October 27, police confirmed the prosecution would be for driving without due care and attention.

Mr Johnson, originally from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, suffered fatal head injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

Widow Margaret, 50, described him as a devoted husband and father to daughter Tina, 21, who enjoyed riding his bike. She told the court he had been riding for three years and had passed an advanced driving certificate.

PC Wilson said: "At that junction it is a giveway to the A59 where the visibility is extensive. In my opinion the rider may have thought that the van was waiting until he had passed when he was overtaking. But the van came into his path. The Honda had no way of stopping or moving. The Honda was not driving excessively fast."

A statement read out on behalf of Mr Webster said: "I never saw the bike just heard him on impact."

Coroner Michael Singleton, recording a verdict of accidental death added: "It seems such a great tragedy for people to die doing what they loved."