Police have confirmed that a woman in her thirties was killed this week after she was 'dragged' under a 32 tonne lorry at a junction in Hackney East London. The incident is the first London cyclist death of 2015.

The accident took place at Seven Sisters Road, a notoriously dangerous junction where there is minimal protection for cyclists.

The lorry involved in the incident was heavily loaded with scrap metal, and, due to its age, would have been exempt from safety requirements such as updated mirrors and sideguards.

During 2013, 14 cyclists died on London’s roads and nine involved heavy goods vehicles.

Head of policy at Thompsons Solicitors, Tom Jones, said: "What a tragedy, another cyclist killed by another HGV. Cycling in London doesn't have to be the safety challenge that it is. Real action by the Mayor of London rather than grandiose long term plans could make a huge difference.

"The number of deaths involving turning lorries is unacceptably high. The risks are known, the junctions are known and the solution isn't rocket science.

"Cyclists will remain vulnerable so long as lorries fail to have simple warning technology fitted, their drivers fail to have simple training and road layouts place them in close proximity to each other.

“The current Mayor and the current government have failed to provide sufficient funding for even the most basic changes and the result is that cyclists continue to die on London’s roads."