VISITORS to Weymouth may have seen the spectacular sight of more than 50 motorcycles revving up and cruising down the seafront as part of a tribute to a well-loved figure of the biker community.

Motorcycle riders turned out in force to mark Weymouth man Maurice Dodd's funeral last Saturday with a convoy of bikes along The Esplanade and around the Jubilee Clock.

Mr Dodd passed away aged 63 on February 26 after a battle with lung cancer. He was a well-known figure in Weymouth and also across the country, thanks to the iconic 'trike hearse' service he provided for biker funerals.

He made his final ride on Saturday, and was joined by more than 50 fellow bikers on a route around Weymouth, with the trike hearse at the front.

His daughter, Ellie Fox, said she found the whole experience very touching: "There were quite a few people stopping to take pictures and we had a good welcome at the crematorium as well.

"It was a really good turnout, we had people coming over from Belgium which is amazing, travelling that far, especially with everything going on at the moment. It was a sunny but a sad day in Weymouth.

"He would have been really pleased because he had been to a number of these events but they normally get a dozen or twenty bikes and we had such a good turnout. There were so many bikes outside his house and up and down the street.

"It was very emotional when we turned around the Kings Statue and we looked back down the beach and saw that the whole section of The Esplanade was taken up by bikes. It was really touching.

"There were a number of people who he had done the funerals for their partners and club members so that was really nice and touching also. The outriders too, they had all been to funerals that dad has been part of and they did a fantastic job. All the bikes kept together and it looked amazing, everyone was more than happy to let us pass through with the traffic.

"There were quite a lot of people that were getting quite emotional seeing all the bikes and everything because a lot of it brings back memories of their loved ones funerals that dad was a part of.

"He wanted it to be a happy sort of event as much as it could be, so we didn't have a traditional wake we had a proper good party afterwards."