Police have ruled out a link between fatal crashes at Brandywell and recent roadworks.

Two visiting motorcyclists died in two days in crashes in the same area of the Mountain Road .

The fatal collisions took place on Thursday and Saturday evening.

On Friday evening, the Mountain Road was closed from the Bungalow to the Creg ny Baa for emergency maintenance works to be carried out to the road surface.

When the road reopened just before 10pm that night, highways services warned motorists to drive with care as there were a number of ’damp areas’.

A police spokesman insisted there was no link between the collisions and roadworks.

He said: ’The accident investigators have done grip tests and the road surface is within tolerances. That is not a factor in the crashes.

’If there had been a problem it would have showed up in our grip test.’

The first fatality took place at 6.30pm on Thursday when a Honda Fireblade was involved in an collision with a Vauxhall Zafira near the Brandywell junction.

Motorcycle rider Kenneth Allen, a 54-year-old from Wolverhampton, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The occupants of the car were all taken to hospital for treatment but have all since been released.

Then at 7.30pm on Saturday, again in the area of the junction at Brandywell, there was another fatal collision involving a car and a motorcycle.

Police said the rider of the motorcycle, a 27-year-old man from the UK, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The occupants of the car were taken to hospital and later released.

Police have appealed for witnesses to both collisions and they thanked members of the public that assisted emergency services at the scene.

An inquest into Mr Allen’s death opened on Tuesday. Tributes have been paid by friends and family.

One read: ’Kenny was a wonderful friend and loved by so many. A man with a caring heart. He’ll truly be missed.’ Another said: ’Kenny was the nicest man.’