A MAN killed in a horrific accident on the M66 at the weekend had been attending a wedding at a Bury hotel.

Tributes have been paid to dad Peter Ridyard, who died after being hit by four cars as he was walking on the motorway between junctions one and two in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Keen gym goer Mr Ridyard had been at a close friend’s wedding at The Village Hotel in Bury, not far from the M66 shortly before the accident.

It is believed that he was staying at the spa hotel following the ceremony but at 2am police were called and found the 33-year-old had suffered fatal injuries on the motorway and he was declared dead at the scene.

It is thought that he had been walking on the northbound motorway when he was struck by an Audi A5.

He was then hit by a further three cars on the southbound carriageway.

The road was closed for 11 hours while police carried out their investigations.

Mr Ridyard, a bouncer at popular Manchester nightclub Napoleons, was a regular at Fit Bodz in Oldham going there twice a day for the last six years.

Tara Rashid, from the gym, said he would be greatly missed.

She said: “We are all absolutely devastated. I can’t believe it. We are all like family here, not just friends, and everyone knew who he was because he came in every day.

“He was always smiling. I never saw him without a smile on his face. He was very popular in here.

“It’s a massive shock. I was chatting to him on the Friday morning and he was saying how excited he was about going to the wedding that afternoon.

“He seemed great, his usual happy self. I will miss everything about him. He was just a lovely, lovely man and it’s hard to put it into words.

“He lit up the room when he was here.”

Following the tragic incident, Mr Ridyard’s girlfriend Carmel Brodie confirmed his death wrote on his Facebook page.

She wrote: “The man who made me happy, sad, laugh, cry, angry and excited has gone. And I am now devastated.”

Others also paid tribute on the same page, calling him a “lovely genuine man” and a “great guy.”

A spokeswoman for his employer Serenity Security, for whom he had only worked for for a few months, said: “He was a first class doorman. He was well-known and well-liked in Manchester’s Gay Village.

“He was very popular, had a huge heart and always had a smile for everyone. He would go out of his way to help people and make them laugh.”

Following the death, a 19-year-old man was arrested by police on suspicion of driving under the influence and was then released on bail.

Police are now appealing for any witnesses to the collision to come forward.

Sgt Helen Hallworth, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “We need witnesses who may have seen this man walking up the motorway to contact us as a matter of urgency.

“As ever, any dashcam footage would be gratefully received, but at this stage any information from eyewitnesses would greatly help us with our investigation into this man’s tragic death.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 284/130816 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.