Tragedy in South Shields as woman in her 80s dies after being struck by a van

A woman in her 80s has been killed after being struck by a van in South Shields. At 11.35am today, police received a report of a collision involving a pedestrian and a van in South Shields.

It was reported that a green and white Mercedes van had been travelling in a southern direction on Centenary Avenue when, for reasons which have yet to be established, it struck a female pedestrian in the road.

Emergency services attended the incident where the pedestrian was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. The woman’s next of kin have been informed and are currently being supported by specially-trained officers.

The driver of the van remained at the scene after the collision, and is assisting officers with their enquiries. A section of the South Shields road was closed for around five hours, but it has since been reopened.

Northumbria Police’s Roads Policing Unit has now launched a full investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the collision, and officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Sergeant Dave Roberts, of Northumbria Police, said: "I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the family of the woman who sadly passed away. We will continue to support them in any way that we can.

"A number of enquiries are underway as we try to establish exactly what has happened in the moments leading up to the collision. As part of this, we are keen to hear from any motorists who were driving in the area at the time, and any other witnesses who may have saw what happened.

"We know this is a busy area, and the collision happened while there were lots of people and vehicles nearby. We’re especially keen to hear from anyone who may have CCTV or dashcam footage. Your information, no matter how small it may seem, could prove to be really valuable to our investigation."

Anyone with information or footage is being asked to get in touch with Northumbria Police by sending a direct message on social media, or by using live chat and report forms on the Force’s website here.

Those unable to make contact in these ways have been asked to call 101, and quote the reference number: NP-20241116-0402.