POLICE have released the identity of an elderly lady who died after being involved in a collision with a van in Dalton.

The 76-year-old woman was taken to Furness General Hospital after being hit by a white transit van outside the Co-op store in Market Street, Dalton, yesterday morning.

She died at the hospital as a result of her injuries. A 27-year-old man from Dalton, who was driving the van, was uninjured following the collision.

Police have today confirmed the pedestrian was Hilda Higgins from Rawlinson Street in Dalton.

Police are in the process of investigating what happened. There are no suggestions at this stage of wrongdoing on the part of the motorist.

However the incident has sparked fresh calls for care to be exercised on Dalton's narrow town centre streets.

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Councillor Barry Doughty lamented the death of the pensioner and expressed his sorrow towards the family who have lost a loved one just before Christmas.

He said: "What happened brings everything into perspective. It's just before Christmas and it must be awful for that poor family.

"Hopefully this will be a salutary lesson for all of us. This is our town where people live, work and travel to school and go about their daily lives."

The collision happened during the school run hour with many parents dropping off their children so they can head over to Dowdales School in Nelson Street.

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However, Mr Doughty believes that the extra congestion in the morning is not to blame for yesterday's fatality.

He said: "You have got businesses and you've got people bringing their children to school and ultimately there is congestion but it's the same on every school run."

Dalton town councillor Anthony Bowe was also devastated by the death of a town resident and believes that something needs to be done to solve Dalton's traffic woes.

He said: "It's terribly sad. Traffic has been a major issue for years. Dalton just wasn't made for cars. It's goes back to the 1300s and the road just can't take it.

"Parking especially is a major issue. People just park where they want to but there's no-one there to tell them to move. This has been a wake-up call. Something definitely needs to be done."

Anyone who witnessed yesterday's incident is asked to call Cumbria police on 101 quoting log number 44 of November 17, 2016.