A 51-year-old woman has died after being hit by a car as she exited a vehicle.

The pedestrian was reportedly hit by a red Volkswagen Golf on the A184, between the junction for Whitemare Pool and the Testo’s roundabout in South Tyneside, at around 1.10am on Saturday.

Police were told that the vehicle had been travelling eastbound when, for reasons yet to be established, it has struck the woman, who had exited a vehicle on the westbound carriageway.

Emergency services rushed to the scene but the woman was sadly pronounced dead a short time later. Her next of kin have been notified and are currently being supported by specialist officers.

The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene to assist with enquiries and the road was closed in both directions for almost seven hours.

Northumbria Police has now launched an investigation. The force’s Motor Patrols team have already spoken to a number of witnesses, and are keen to speak to anyone else who is yet to come forward.

They are keen to hear from anyone who was travelling in the area at the time and may have dashcam or CCTV footage. Sergeant Dave Roberts said: “This is an incredibly tragic incident where a woman has lost her life.

“Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time, and we will continue to support them in any way we can. An investigation has been launched, and we are determined to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision and the events leading to it.

“We have already spoken with a number of individuals about what they saw, but we would urge anyone else who was driving or in the area at the time to come forward. Any information, no matter how small it may seem, could prove key as part of our investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Northumbria Police using the ‘Report’ tool on their website or by calling 101, quoting log number NP-20240323-0063.