POLICE have appealed for witnesses to a fatal crash after a 65-year-old woman pedestrian died.

The woman pensioner, who lived at the Camphill Village Trust community in Newnham, was involved in a collision with a car on the A48 near Blakeney around 5.30pm last Wednesday (December 6), and died in hospital the following morning.

The road was shut for five-and-a-half hours after the accident near Dene Rise fishing lakes.

An air ambulance landed and took the injured woman to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, but police said she died early next morning from her injuries.

A Gloucestershire Police spokeswoman said the crash involved a blue Citroen Berlingo driven by a Newent woman, who was not injured.

The dead woman was one of around 40 residents based at the hilltop Oaklands Park manor house, a community of people with learning disabilities and other support.

It is believed she lived independently and did not need staff to be with her when she left Oaklands, which includes a 150-acre farm, eight-acre market garden, a wood workshop, a weavery and The George Café.

The A48 from the New Road turning in Blakeney to Elton Corner was closed until after 11pm for collision investigation officers to examine the crash scene, between Chicknalls Lane in Blakeney and The Green in Newnham, causing long delays both ways.

Local woman Cheri Griffiths posted on Facebook just after the crash: "I have been told the road will be shut for quite some time... believed to be a fatality," while Blakeney childminder Claire Blackwell added: "Hope everyone is ok as went past just afterwards and someone was doing CPR."

Another woman said: "Must be a huge accident in Blakeny on A48. Traffic at standstill and helicopter just landed. Loads of blue lights."

Gloucestershire Police are appealing for witnesses who have not yet spoken to them to provide information by calling 101 or emailing [email protected] and quoting incident 380 of 6 December.

They can also give information anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org