A woman in her 50s has died after being hit by a skip lorry in the high street this afternoon.

Police were called shortly before 1.10pm to reports of a road traffic collision outside Moss Brothers and Nat West in High Street, Watford.

Hertfordshire Constabulary have since confirmed the woman has died.

Her family have been informed.

READ MORE: ROAD REOPENED AFTER LORRY ACCIDENT

Shoppers expressed their shock as they passed through the town centre this afternoon. 

Eric Johnson, from Watford, “felt sick” when he realised there had been an accident.

He said: “I was walking past Nat West when I noticed a large crowd of people of people and a number of police officers talking to passers-by.

“I realised something serious had happened when I saw paramedics and felt sick.”

Trevor Barnes, from Borehamwood, was shopping in the high street when he saw a number of flashing lights from police cars blocking the road.

He said: “I felt sad when I heard what happened as the roads in the high street are supposed to be closed while building work is carried out.

“It was a shock to hear someone had been hit as incidents like this do not usually happen in Watford.”

Kevin Fitzgerald added: “It is a busy corner but this sort of thing does not normally happen around here.”

There were road closures on the High Street at the junctions with Market Street and Church Street until the early evening.

A Hertfordshire Constabulary spokesperson said: "We politely ask the public to avoid the area at this time while we work at the scene with our emergency service colleagues."

Sergeant Martin Kemp, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit, is appealing for witnesses to the incident.

If you saw what happened and have not yet spoken to police, or have any further information that could assist the investigation, please call 101 quoting ISR 383 of March 12.