The father of a six-year-old boy who was hit and killed by a car in Thamesmead has paid tribute to his "happy, smiley" son.

David Williams, a pupil at Bexley Business Academy, was knocked down by a van at the junction of Kale Road and St John Fisher Road on July 24 after walking down the road with his family.

He died in hospital at 7.20pm.

His father, Daniel Williams, aged 46, from Archway told News Shopper that his son was a 'happy, smiley' boy who was loved by everyone he met.

News Shopper:

He said: "His face was naturally made to smile.

"Everyone who met him could see how happy he was.

"My memory of him is as a happy, peaceful and innocent little boy.

Mr Williams said that David's family, including his mother, Lola, and three elder sisters aged nine, 11 and 13 are struggling to come to terms with their loss.

He added: "I am absolutely distraught, my only consolation is that we are Christians and we believe that David has gone to be with the Lord.

"Otherwise I would never be able to recover from losing him."

News Shopper:

The driver of the Honda CRV that hit David stopped at the scene and was not arrested.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 020 8285 1574.

Family campaign for traffic calming measures

Mr Williams told the News Shopper that the 'greatest tribute' to his son would be for something to be done to prevent another child's death.

He said that he would like to see traffic calming measures put in place on the road where his son was killed and a 10-year-old girl seriously injured after being hit by a van just hours earlier.

He said: "The greatest tribute to David would be to have something put in place to stop any more tragedies.

"If there was something where he was trying to cross then it might be a different story today."

Mr Williams said that while he is still trying to come to terms with losing his son, he has been told by Thamesmead residents that 'it was an accident waiting to happen.'

He added: "There are a lot of housing estates around the area, a lot of children playing. There are lots of schools and kids clubs - the residents say it was an accident waiting to happen.

"I still don't have a clear story of what happened but anything that could be done to improve safety would be very, very, very welcome and would be the greatest tribute to him."

News Shopper:

Thamesmead and Erith MP Teresa Pearce has said she will be investigating what can be done to prevent such tragic incidents happening again.

She said: "I was very sad to see the start of the school holidays marked by two road traffic accidents involving children in Thamesmead one of which resulted in a young child losing his life.

"I will be raising concerns with the police investigation team to look to see what lessons can be learned and to press for any changes to road layouts or speed limits that may be deemed necessary.

"In the meantime my heart goes out to the family of the little boy killed on our roads last week."