A FAMILY is calling for a busy shopping street to be made safe following the death of an 84-year-old woman.

Mary Bongard, of Shaw Wood Close, Durham, was knocked down by a bus as she crossed North Road,Durham, on October 19, last year.

She suffered head injuries and died two months later.

Another pensioner, 86-year-old Jenny Spedding, from Sherburn Hill, near Durham, was caught under a wheel of an Arriva single-decker bus as it left Durham bus station on North Road four months later.

An inquest into Mrs Bongard's death was held yesterday, which heard from the driver of the Go Ahead Northern bus, John King, of Bearpark, near Durham.

Mr King, who has 40 years experience of driving buses, told the inquest that at about 10.10am he pulled away from a bus stop on North Road, but as he moved into the centre of the one-way street, he was dazzled by sunlight and began to stop.

As he did so, he saw a figure appear in front of his bus and braked harder, but collided with Mrs Bongard.

Accident expert Graham Greatrix said sunlight would have been a "serious contributory factor" in the accident.

Mrs Bongard's son, Michael, asked accident investigators whether North Road was classed as an accident blackspot but was told it was not.

Deputy North Durham Coroner Brenda Davidson recorded a verdict of accident.

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Bongard said his family had wanted the Crown Prosecution Service to look into charging Mr King so any safety issues could be highlighted.

But following the accident, the police were satisfied the driver had not been negligent and did not charge him.

Mrs Bongard's daughter, Katherine Bainbridge, called for pedestrian crossings on North Road. She said: "We're not vengeful, but our anxiety is to make sure no other accident happens again."