NEWS of the fatal road accident near the Red Lion pub in Petersfield shocked and saddened early evening customers.

Susan Tidy, of Petersfield, was having a meal with her husband in the subdued pub in College Street worried about family members she had tried to phone after seeing all the emergency vehicles and roads cordoned off.

The incident in which a female pedestrian died after being in collision with a lorry happened at 2pm today (Tuesday) in Dragon Street, just yards away from her dining table.

“It’s quite shocking. It does shock you when you hear something like that,” she said.

Susan is disabled with mobility difficulties and struggled to walk a distance from her car to the pub after unsuccessfully trying several blocked off routes.

She felt there was a safety issue on the roads in the centre of Petersfield with so much congestion and lorries coming through or parking up to unload.

“I feel so sorry for whoever it was,” said window fitter Luke Lancett.

From South Wales, he was in the town for work and also in the Red Lion.

Arriving in Petersfield soon after the incident, hew as unable to get into central Petersfield, and parked on the outskirts.