Police have confirmed the identity of a man who died on the M55 near Preston.

The motorway was partly shut for around three hours on Friday (8 September) morning.

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Reports came in of a man falling from the Sandy Lane bridge onto the eastbound carriageway.

Preston Police attended and the 68-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

He has now been named as Martin Bird and from Ingol.

His family described him as ‘much-loved’.

Mr Bird’s death is currently not being treated as suspicious.

Police are trying to piece together Mr Bird’s final movements the day before he died and leading up to his death.

Sergeant Finn Quainton, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: “This was a tragic incident in which a man lost his life and first and foremost our thoughts are with Mr Bird’s family and friends.

“We are now appealing for anybody who saw him in the moments before his death, or saw the incident unfold, to contact us as soon as possible. The M55 was busy at that time in the morning, and there may well have been cars travelling over the Sandy Lane bridge, so we believe several people will have seen what happened.

“If you have any information that can help us piece together what occurred, we would urge you to get in touch as soon as possible.”

Read more: Silver BMW left in ruins after M55 crash

Anyone with information can contact Lancashire Police on 101 quoting log number 358 of September 8th.

Alternatively the independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.