A 63-year-old Swindon man has been arrested for causing death by careless driving after colliding with a cyclist in Whitworth Road, Pinehurst.

The tragedy happened shortly before 11pm on Sunday when the driver, who was traveling along Whitworth Road towards Rodbourne in a Citroen Berlingo van, collided with the 59-year-old, who was crossing the junction with Pinehurst Road, close to The Circle, on his mountain bike.

Despite paramedics trying to revive the man, he had sustained a number of serious injuries and died at the scene.

Police closed the road for six hours while specialist investigation teams scoured the area for any scraps of evidence.

The driver of the van was arrested at the scene for causing death by careless driving and was later bailed pending a further police investigation.

Marion Smith, who lives close to where the tragedy happened, said the whole area was shocked by the news.

She said: “That is a particularly nasty junction but I cannot recall anything like this happening before.

“Most accidents tend to happen on the double roundabout further up and not here.

“It is absolutely horrible what has happened – I looked out of my window shortly before midnight and saw there were a lot of police down there but would never have imagined someone lost their life.

“Everyone around here is very upset.”

Officers in the case are now urging any witnesses to come forward to try to piece together what happened.

It is thought the identity of the victim will be released in the next few days after all of his family members have been informed.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Wiltshire Police on 0845 408 7000, or anonymously, on Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.