Cyclist killed in central London lorry crash

The road was closed by police following the crash

A male cyclist has been killed in a crash with a lorry in central London.

The incident happened on Fitzroy Street, Fitzrovia, at about 07:40 BST.

The cyclist, aged in his 20s, was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.

He is the first cyclist to be killed on the capital's roads this year, according to Transport for London (TfL).

A passer-by who witnessed the event told the BBC he "saw a young man on an electric bike cycling next to a large lorry".

"The lorry was turning left when it hit into the cyclist," he said.

"The bike was almost intact - clearly the man took most of the damage...".

The lorry involved in the incident has been towed away

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said it had "sent two ambulance crews, a medic in a fast response car and an incident response officer", as well as London's Air Ambulance.

“Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a person was pronounced dead at the scene," they said.

The Met said the man's next of kin have been informed and no arrests have been made.

One commuter who normally bikes home from central London told the BBC the crash made him worry about how safe the roads are for cyclists.

"I usually cycle with my headphones in, but today after this incident I am going to be extra careful," he said.

"When the roads are busy in London it can be stressful to cycle.

"I definitely worry about large vehicles like lorries not seeing cyclists."

According to data on road safety published by TfL on Wednesday, seven cyclists were killed in London last year, down from 10 in 2021.

A further 1,020 cyclists were seriously injured in 2022, while 4,063 suffered slight injuries.

Lilli Matson, TfL's chief safety, health and environment officer said: “Any death or serious injury is completely unacceptable and we’re working with London boroughs to do everything possible to eliminate it from London’s roads.

"We’re determined to make all roads safer and we will assist the police as they investigate the collision."