Cargo staff and union representatives at Heathrow have met to discuss safety at the spot where young Whitton woman Kelly Dalgleish died.

Kelly Dalgleish, 29, of Moorland Close, was hit by a lorry at the airport, where she worked, last December.

The treacherous roads in Heathrow's cargo areas have long been cause for concern.

Kelly, who worked for Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), was hit by a lorry while crossing just 50 metres from her workplace, in Shoreham Road East, on December 5.

Last week's meeting started with a one-minute silence, words from Kelly's managing director and a message from her family thanking everyone for what they have done since the tragedy.

Steve Turner, of union Unite, said: "Our sympathy goes to the family - from what has been said, she was a great young woman with great potential.

"It was a horrific accident waiting to happen.If anything good comes out of this it is going to be the way the cargo area operates."

Mr Turner expressed staff concerns that the need for better safety has been 'on the cards for ages, but there was always an excuse'.

Suggestions outlined at the meeting included designated paths marking a clear separation between road traffic and pedestrians, improved lighting, and the installation of bollards, barriers, clear signs and CCTV.

Mr Turner said: "There are things that should be done straight away. We are trying very hard to make sure measures are put in place so this will not happen again - it should not have happened in the first place.

"This means investment, but we are not going to allow money to get in the way of addressing our concerns.

"I do not want to be here in three months time in the same situation. What price are you going to put on another fatality?

"A 20mph limit is an excessive speed for 44-tonne lorries driving in the area - and road access where the driver took a short cut needs to be blocked off.

"There is no physical barrier so the lorry driver cut through and turned left, taking a short cut to the loading bays. But he should not have been able to. There was no reason for him to go down that way, but there is nothing to say you cannot."

In the past there have been plenty of unrecorded near-misses, which would have added weight to the Health and Safety Executive investigation, so workers are being encouraged to record any close calls to help force changes. 

Kelly, originally from South Africa, had been planning to marry her partner, Claire Jenkins, 25, in a civil ceremony this year.