A MAN needed an operation on his leg after his motorbike was in collision with a lorry.

Mark Menville, 24, of Penhill, broke a leg and dislocated an ankle when he collided with the Midcounties Co-operative delivery lorry, which was on its way to the Co-op store in Ermin Street, at 5.30pm on Monday.

He was on his way home from his work at a Lechlade Solar Farm when the accident happened.

Mark was taken to Great Western Hospital where he was operated on. He is set to have more surgery.

He has only has his 2010 Derbi Sendra bike, which was written off after the accident, for two weeks.

His brother, Steven Menville, 28, who works at Patheon in Kingfisher Drive, said he has only a vague recollection of events leading up to the crash.

“Mark told us that he was filtering through traffic on Ermin Street which was very busy,” he said. “It was horrifying to hear the news – I was absolutely horrified. I just hoped he would be ok.”

Steve was at work when the police arrived at his Pinehurst home, initially thinking the victim was him.

He said: “The police knocked on the door and told my partner, Lorraine, that I had had an accident on my motorbike.

“She said that I never used my motorbike to go to work and called my supervisor who, of course, said that I was standing in front of him.’’ Steven has now made a plea to the public to help piece together Monday night’s events.

“My brother can’t remember anything that happened so we need witnesses to come forward and try to make sense of all of this,” he said.

“There was a lot of traffic, so someone must have seen something.”

A police spokesman said: “Wiltshire Police were called to Windbrook Road at approximately 5.30pm on February 23, following reports of a road traffic collision involving a motorbike and a lorry.

“We were called by the ambulance service to assist with traffic at the scene.

“The motorcyclist was taken to the Great Western Hospital by ambulance and suffered a broken ankle.”

Midcounties Co-operative said they could not comment on the incident while an investigation was on-going.

Anyone with information regarding the crash should contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.