Three motorcyclists died at what police fear is the start of a season of death on Sussex roads.

A rider killed on the A259 at Bexhill last weekend was 23.

The tragedy came soon after the death of Dexter Banks, 39, of Croxden Way, Eastbourne, whose sports bike crashed in Lottbridge Drove, Eastbourne.

A third sports bike rider has died as Sussex Police step up efforts to cut the death toll.

The crash happened just after noon yesterday on the B2141 at Chilgrove, near Chichester.

Police said the motorcycle left the road and collided with a tree.

The rider, 51 and from Hampshire, suffered serious injuries and died later at St Richards Hospital, Chichester.

The alarming rise in deaths of riders on sports bikes has prompted police and councils to take action.

They are hoping motorcyclists will take note of the warnings.

Sports bike fatalities in Sussex have doubled since 2000 as more lovers of high-performance racing bikes have taken to the roads.

Road deaths in the county, overall, are on the decline but motorcycle fatalities are rising.

Police fear as many as 25 people will have been killed by the end of the summer, compared with 14 in 2000.

The financial loss from the 55 motorcycle deaths in Sussex in the three years to 2002 amounted to £57 million. In addition, there was the devastating personal and emotional loss to families.

The Government is about to launch advertisements to raise awareness and they will include shocking pictures to bring home the reality of bike crashes.

Sussex Police, East and West Sussex county councils and Brighton and Hove City Council next week launch their own effort to dovetail with the Government's.

The campaign, Don't Be A Spoil-Sport, is a three-pronged attack to drive the message home through education, communication and enforcement.

Police and council officers will be at regular bike meeting spots like Whiteways car park on the A29 at Bury Hill, near Arundel, and at Hastings in May, when a rally will draw an estimated 20,000 motorcyclists into town.

Inspector Simon Labbett, of the Hove-based Road Policing Unit, said: "We will focus on those most at risk - speeding sports bike riders, many of whom think crashes are always someone else's fault."

Mr Labbett has completed an in-depth study on the subject and other forces are looking at it with a view to taking similar action.

Police and council road safety officers will be at rallies to hand out leaflets and talk to riders. They may also bring wrecked bikes to show the result of crashes.

Mr Labbett said officers would be out at known hot-spots throughout the summer to catch speeders.

He insisted: "We are not picking on motorcyclists for the sake of it - many of our own officers love riding bikes - but we must do something to cut the number of fatalities and protect the quality of life for residents."