A man died when his high-powered sports bike crashed on the Brighton bypass.

The victim, 33 and from Hove, was riding his Kawasaki ZX 600 eastbound on the A27 and was near the A23 southbound turn-off at Patcham, Brighton, when the accident happened.

Emergency services arrived at the scene shortly after 8pm yesterday. Crews found his body on a verge.

The road was closed while accident investigators studied the scene.

The tragedy happened after Sussex Police warned the number of motorcyclists killed on Sussex roads was expected to double this year.

While the overall number of fatal crashes involving all vehicles is falling, the rate of bikers killed is increasing every year.

A total of 55 died between 2000 and 2002 in Sussex, more than the fatalities from all rail disasters put together in the past five years for the entire country.

The report's author, Inspector Simon Labbett, told The Argus at the weekend: "If the increase is maintained then the number of motorcycle road deaths in Sussex this year will double the total for 2000."

The study showed sports bike riders travelling at weekends were more at risk than other groups.