Lorry death: Barton mayor calls for bypass

"I will be starting a campaign at the town council to draw up new plans for a bypass. Lives are worth more than money."

He said the streets were so narrow, especially in the Market Place where the accident happened.

"Vehicles are getting bigger and the volume of traffic is getting heavier," he said.

"A number of years ago I campaigned to build a bypass after the opening of the Kimberly Clark factory.

"The factory had some funding to build the bypass along with Humberside County Council as it was then. The plans were pulled and there have not been any proposals since."

Deputy mayor Coun Keith Vickers agreed. "A bypass would be the only answer," he said. This would also enable us to restore the Market Place to a more pedestrian-friendly zone.

"We do have a lot of heavy vehicles coming through the town, but they still need to do their job so we need to establish a balance.

"It's so unfortunate what has happened but I'm shocked there hasn't been an accident before."

A Humberside Police spokesman said Mrs Murphy was attempting to cross the road at a pedestrian crossing in the centre of the Market Place when she was in collision with a Volvo articulated lorry.

She suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 37-year-old driver of the lorry from Norfolk did not receive any injuries.

Coun Tom Chant (71), of Bowmandale, said the crossing could be dangerous.

"Four months ago I was walking halfway across the zebra crossing with my push-bike and a man in a car, on his mobile phone, missed my back tyre by a matter of inches," he said.

"It's a very dangerous road and it should be a priority to get some traffic lights on the crossing. The sheer volume of traffic has intensified dramatically over the past few years. There are so many big wagons."