A MOTORCYCLIST has been killed in a crash on the A55.

A blue Honda CBR 1100 motorcycle ridden by a man believed to be from the Caernarfon area was in collision with a green-coloured Mercedes car just before junction 33 at about 7.30pm on Wednesday.

The victim has so far not been named.

The 22-year-old Mercedes driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

He has since been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

The crash closed the eastbound carriageway at Northop for several hours, bringing traffic to a standstill as police recovered the vehicles and carried out investigations.

Tailbacks stretched back to junction 31 at Caerwys where diversions where were put in place. The police helicopter was in the air over the scene.

Motorist Phil Acott joined the A55 minutes after the crash.

“I was about 500m metres from the accident,” he said. “The road was completely closed.

“The traffic was quite bad. It was queuing up back to the Springfield Hotel and then further. After about an hour-and-a-half they turned the cars around had us going back towards Caerwys so they had four lanes going in the same direction.

“The police cars were stuck in the traffic with everyone else.

“I finally got to Northop about 9.20pm.”

The victim’s family has been informed. A North East Wales Coroner’s Office spokesman said a post-mortem examination was held yesterday.

A spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance Service said two ambulances went to the collision scene and they transported the motorcyclist to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.

Anyone with information can call PC Aled Jackson or Sgt Alun Davies at the Road Policing Unit at Deeside on 101.