A MOTORCYCLIST is fighting for his life after careering off Thamesdown Drive and smashing into a lamppost.

The 47-year-old Swindon man was travelling eastbound when he lost control of his grey 1100cc Honda near the Redhouse village centre junction.

He was taken to the Great Western Hospital with serious pelvic injuries following the crash at 3.40am on Sunday.

He was later transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he is in intensive care.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident which involved no other vehicles to call PC George Wheeler, of Swindon police, on 01793 528111.

Residents in the new Redhouse estate part of Swindon's northern expansion were woken by sirens and police activity.

The crash happened just yards from 31-year-old mother Kelly East's house.

She said: "I woke up and could see blue lights flashing.

"I don't think the road is dangerous, it's straight and there are plenty of traffic lights to keep speed down."

But grandmother Cherry Warr, 60, said drivers needed to slow down.

"Drivers use it as a race track," she said.

"Police try to tackle it by using mobile cameras. But there are soon going to be more pedestrian crossings there, so I hope things will improve."

Police have expressed concern at speeds on the carriageway, which has a 40mph limit.

There were four serious collisions and 32 slight injury accidents between April 2003 and the end of the year.

A survey found nearly half of vehicles speed along the route.