Child cyclist killed

This occurred on a

busy 40mph road

An 11-year-old girl has been killed after she was hit by a car while on a bike ride with her mother. Katelyn Weldon died after the bike she was riding collided with a Vauxhall Vectra being driven by a 37-year-old man in Sunderland. The schoolgirl's mother was cycling behind her when the accident happened on Saturday night.

Neighbours said they had been campaigning for years for improvements to the junction because of the number of accidents and access problems. Gary Wright, who lives opposite the scene, said there had been about eight accidents at the junction in the 12 months his family had moved there.

'We hear the screeching and it's frightening. We were saying only the other day it will take someone to die for something to be done,' he said.