A cyclist has died after being struck by a lorry in south London this afternoon.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after the female cyclist was hit by the lorry on a railway bridge in Selhurst shortly before 2pm.

Police and paramedics battled to save the 25-year-old woman but she was pronounced dead at the scene in St James's Road.

She is the first cyclist to have been killed in a collision on London's roads this year.

Police said the lorry driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and failing to stop at the scene.

He was taken to a south London police station where he remains in custody.

Officers were called to the crash at the junction with Lansdowne Road by London Ambulance Service at about 2.40pm.

London's Air Ambulance was also scrambled to the scene of the collision.

A forensic tent has been erected in the street and the surrounding roads cordoned off.

Mark Lovett, a 46-year-old bar worker at the nearby Windmill pub, told the Standard: “A woman was hit and the ambulance service turned up.

“Not long after that there were police everywhere. The body lay in the road for about an hour. The emergency services put up a forensic tent to cover it up.

"A bike was propped up nearby."

Tony James, 35, regularly cycles along the railway bridge on his commute to work in Croydon and believes it could be made safer for riders.

He told the Standard: “I know that bit of road well and it’s nasty. It’s on one of my regular routes.

“The cycle lane suddenly peters out and then you’re on a very narrow part of the road with all the other traffic.

“Safety for cyclists is a problem in the area. A lot of the cyclists I know are looking forward to when Croydon Council start looking at some proper infrastructure on the roads and solutions to make it safer.

"I feel sick knowing that someone has lost their life.”

Police constable Milo Horvath, a Selhurst officer, tweeted: "Following a serious RTC, parts of St James's Road, Selhurst, have been closed. Please reroute to avoid delays."

A Met Police spokesman said the woman's next of kin have been informed but officers await formal identification.

In March this year, 52-year-old tech entrepreneur Ralph Brazier was killed when he apparently hit a pothole in Weybridge, Surrey.

The Standard has contacted Croydon Council for comment.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or the aftermath should call officers from the Roads and Transport Policing Command at Catford on 020 8285 1574.