Elderly woman killed on dangerous Durham road
AN ELDERLY woman was knocked down and killed just hours after villagers handed over a petition calling for a speed cut on the road.
Nicola Weatherall
Ellen Hendry, 81, had been walking across the A690 near Brancepeth, on the outskirts of Durham City, yesterday evening when she was hit by a car.
The pensioner had just got off a bus.
As she stepped out to cross the road towards her home, she was hit by a Suzuki Swift jeep coming from the direction of Meadowfield.
Paramedics were called at 5.15pm, but Ms Hendry was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 40-year-old man from the Weardale area who had been driving the jeep was uninjured, but suffering from shock.
Floral tributes have been tied to railings opposite the bus stop.
Derrick Robinson, who lives in neighbouring village of Brandon, said: "I knew Ellen, she was a lovely woman who had lived in the area for about six years.
"She was very active in the community, helping out at the village hall serving tea.
"The lighting on the road is good, but there is a 40mph speed limit and traffic can come past at 50mph which is too fast."
Hours before the collision, a 209-name petition had been handed to highways officials at Durham County Hall with residents calling for a 30mph speed limit to be introduced on the stretch of road as well as a zebra crossing.
Brancepeth Parish Council chairman John Jackson had also visited Durham police headquarters at Aykley Heads to raise the villagers' concerns.
A protest was due to be staged today at the site of the accident. Police have confirmed no arrests have been made.
Meanwhile, a youngster was in Newcastle General Hospital last night after he was knocked down by a car.
The seven-year-old boy suffered a broken leg after he was hit on West Denton Way in Newcastle.
It happened at the busy junction with Linhope Road at 3.30pm as pupils were leaving Beech Hill Primary School and All Saints Sports College.
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