Hampshire County Council chiefs are carrying out an investigation after a Winchester coroner criticised them for not taking action to improve a notorious road junction in the city centre.

Deputy coroner, Simon Burge, made his comments at the inquest into the death of 90-year-old Gladys Waite, who was knocked down by a bus and killed as she crossed St George's Street on December 28th last year.

The incident happened just yards from a junction that has long been branded a danger by community activists and Winchester MP, Mark Oaten.

They say the semi-pedestrianised section of St George's Street is unsafe because people often mistakenly believe that the area is traffic-free. It is actually used by buses throughout the day and Mrs Waite, of Eastgate Street, was struck by one that emerged from there.

Mr Burge slammed the county council for failing to make the junction safer despite repeated pleas. "I wish to state that I concur with the general view of residents that that particular junction of St George's Street with Upper Brook Street, on that bend that we all know, is dangerous. Warnings were given to the council that a serious accident would occur and that is what has happened."

The council previously refused to undertake safety work at the junction because it argued that the planned Broadway-Friarsgate development would remove buses from the precinct.

But the multi-million-pound redevelopment now appears to be bogged down in negotiations between landowners and the developer. Mr Burge said: "It is not adequate. We don't know exactly when that improvement will take place-if ever."

He said that 300 vehicles passed through the junction every day and that it was particularly confusing for people who were not familiar with the area.

Mr Oaten said he hoped the coroner's comments would now spur the council into immediate action. "I have long been concerned that pedestrians find this area confusing and it's not acceptable to put off the decision until after the Friarsgate development takes place. I think there's a strong case for the council to look at quick action."

A county council spokesman said: "We are looking into the incident with Hampshire Police through the Crime Reduction Partnership, as we do any time there is a fatal accident.

"There has only been one other injury there in the last five years and that was minor. We will be carrying out various pedestrian surveys and when they are completed, the results will be analysed and we will decide what to do."

The court heard on Wednesday how the accident happened. Benjamin Holdaway, a sales manager, was not familiar with Winchester and told how he crossed the junction pushing his daughter in a pushchair at about 3.20pm.

He was unaware that the traffic lights were on green and that the bus had right of way, so became angry when it drove past him closely. "Perhaps if I had known there were traffic lights there, maybe I wouldn't have crossed, or maybe I would have run."

As it was, Mr Holdaway shouted at the driver and waved his arms in the air in exasperation. David Hargreaves, who was driving the single-decker Stagecoach bus, described how he looked in his rear view mirror at the angry pedestrian.

When he looked back at the road ahead, Mrs Waite was right in front of him. He said: "I looked back and there was this little old lady in the road and I had no alternative but to hit her."

Mr Hargreaves described it as a "terrible junction" and added: "If the gentleman hadn't distracted me, I would have seen her and I would have been able to stop."

Mrs Waite died of severe head and chest injuries just a few hours after the accident at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital. A devout Methodist, she was extremely fit for her age and loved walking around Winchester every day. She was born in Alresford and lived most of her life in the city with her husband, who died two-and-a-half years ago, aged 95.

Speaking after the inquest, her son, Frederick, said: "It's obvious that it's a dangerous area. The driver had a difficult situation to cope with. We just hope something is done and it is made safe for other people."

The coroner returned a verdict of accidental death.

* A police spokesman has confirmed that "no further action" will be taken against Mr Hargreaves.