A biker who neither had bike insurance nor road tax had died while being pursued by police, an inquest into his death has heard.

The biker died in a crash four years ago as he reportedly sped away from police on his untaxed Kawasaki Ninja bike after failing to pull over in Hanley.

The man, in his mid 20s, was pursued by a PC before he crashed his bike and died in Werrington Road, Bucknall, on June 21, 2005.

The inquest which opened at Hanley Town Hall will try to find out how he came off his bike and died.

The inquest heard that the biker had been banned and had no insurance cover, but he had gone ahead to buy a bike despite all this and having no licence.

On the morning of his death the unemployed painter and decorator was said to have left home to go to the job centre in order to assist a friend to get off drugs.