TRIBUTES have been paid to a bride-to-be who was killed as she cycled the 17 miles to her workplace.

Elizabeth Brown was an avid cyclist whose love of bikes took her all over the world, but she was killed on her commute to work when she was involved in an early morning collision with a van on the A189 Spine Road, near Cramlington, on Wednesday.

Miss Brown had been due to celebrate her birthday four days later and was looking forward to her wedding to fiance Andrew Ternent.

Police arrested a man at the scene, who was questioned on suspicion of causing death by careless driving.

Last night as traffic officers continued to piece together what happened, Miss Brown’s heartbroken family have joined them in appealing for witnesses, and paid an emotional tribute to the much-loved daughter, sister and fiance. In a moving statement her family told how badly she will be missed.

“Elizabeth was tragically killed four days before her 44th birthday at 7.15 on a bright April morning, cycling the 17miles to work at the Wansbeck Hospital in Ashington,” they said.

“Liz will be sorely missed by her friends, colleagues and her close-knit Tyneside family including her parents Ann and Hugh, her brother and sister and their families, and the family’s newest member Andrew Ternent to whom she was soon to have been married.”

Miss Brown, who was known to her loved ones as Liz, had worked at the Wansbeck’s Physiotherapy Unit for many years, and would regularly cycle from her home, in Jesmond, Newcastle, to work.

Her family last night told how her work and love of cycling had taken her all over the world.

“Educated at Newcastle Church High School and Manchester University, she had worked in Hull and in Australia while on her worldwide travels,” they continued.