Tributes have been paid to a man who was killed when his motorcycle was involved in a crash with a van on the A470. The collision happened at around 5pm on Saturday near the village of Llandefalle, around eight miles north-east of Brecon in Powys.
The rider of the motorcycle died at the scene, police confirmed, with a section of the road remaining closed for more than nine hours. The man who died has now been named as 53-year-old Dean Kayes, who was originally from Merthyr Tydfil but had more recently been living in the Neath area.
His family has paid tribute to him and to the emergency services who attended the scene of the tragic crash. Family members Moira, Kevin and Janine, along with Mr Kayes’ wider family, said in a statement: “Dean was such a beloved member of our family and he will be so greatly missed by us all.
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“Dean started biking when he got his first scrambler bike at the age of eight and that ignited the passion for motorcycling that continued throughout his life. He was a very experienced motorcyclist with more than 40 years’ experience. He was a much-respected member of the local motorcycling community in south Wales and regularly attended motorcycling trips abroad to France, Spain, and Portugal with people from all around the UK.
"We would like to thank Dyfed-Powys Police, the emergency services, Dean’s friends, and the local members of the public who assisted at the scene. We as a family have been touched by the number of friends and people who knew Dean who have reached out to us with their condolences. Dean will always be in our hearts and minds and our lives will not be the same without him.”
Sergeant Matthew Thomas, of Dyfed-Powys Police’s roads policing unit, said: “Our profound sympathies are with Mr Kayes’ family and friends at this incredibly difficult time." Police are continuing to appeal for information regarding the fatal crash and have asked anyone who may have witnessed it or who may have dash cam footage of the incident to contact them either online, by emailing 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk, or by calling 101.
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