Funeral of Cumbrian cycling brothers takes place today

The funeral of two brothers killed while cycling on the A595 in Cumbria will be held today, the Times and Star reports.

Christian and Nicholas Townend, aged 29 and 21 respectively,  died when they were struck by a coach at Moota on December 5, a few miles from the town of Cockermouth where they both lived.

The pair were the eldest and youngest sons of a former GP in the town, Mike Townend, and wife Eleanor, who have two other sons.

A 42-year old man from Carlisle who was driving the coach was arrested by Cumbria police on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and bailed until February 6.

The day before the incident Cumbria police had issued a warning about icy conditions on roads in the area as temperatures dipped as low as -11 degrees C.

The brothers’ funeral is due to be held Loweswater Church at 1pm today, followed by their burial.

The A595 is known as one of the most dangerous roads in Cumbria. In 2008 five people died in a single accident and a cyclist was seriously injured in another incident, all at Moota, where this latest tragedy occurred.