Dead rider was to become engaged

A man who died when he lost control of his scooter and crashed into a signpost in Southampton has been named as Stephen Tippetts.

The 30-year-old from Marchwood was about to get engaged and had just got a new job, his family said.

Mr Tippetts was driving his scooter on Marchwood Road, near Bury Brickfields Caravan Park, when the accident happened on Wednesday afternoon.

Anyone who saw the crash, or the rider before it, is asked to contact police.

'No speed merchant'

Mr Tippetts' family said in a statement: "We are in complete shock and numb at the loss of a dear son.

"He was very happy to have landed a job at Ikea.

"His girlfriend of six years had just moved in with him, and they were about to get engaged.

"He had been riding a scooter safely in and out of Southampton for more than three years.

"He was not one to take unnecessary risks, and he was not a speed merchant."

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