Residents of Blaenporth, near Cardigan, have spoken of their shock after the body of a 90-year-old widower was left lying on the A487 for six hours after he was knocked down and killed by a car.

Barrie John Taylor, who leaves two daughters, a stepson and step-daughter, is thought to have been returning to his home on Tan-yr-Eglwys Road after visiting the grave of his late wife Kath in the nearby churchyard when the accident happened on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Taylor’s family said an a statement: “We would like to thank everyone, especially the local community and neighbours for their help and support during this very difficult time.

“Barrie was well known and well thought of in the community and will be missed by all.”

But Cllr Rosemarie Chaffers-Jones and others have criticised the amount of time it took emergency services to remove the body from the scene. “The biggest shock was that the police just left poor Barrie lying in the road with just a blanket over him,” she said. “You’d have thought they’d have put up a screen or something – there was absolutely no respect.”

Fellow neighbour Mac Allen said: “The accident happened at around 3pm, but it must have been around 9pm before Barrie was finally moved.

“Someone came out and put a blanket over him, but there are houses on both sides of the road so people could see everything.”

After the Blaenporth collision, a police spokesperson said: “This is understandably a very difficult and upsetting time for the family and the local community.

“Due to the nature of this tragic incident, it was vitally important that the scene was preserved whilst specialist officers conducted a thorough investigation in an attempt to establish the facts of the collision.

“Officers preserved the dignity of the pedestrian to the best of their ability, he was covered at all times and not left on view to the public. The road closures were maintained until 9pm to ensure members of the public could not access the scene.

“Unfortunately, due to the location of the collision, some local residents did have direct view of the scene. Officers liaised with some of those residents on the night and the local neighbourhood policing team has been in the community to offer support and reassurance to those affected by the incident.

“We have appointed a family liaison officer to support the family at what is understandably a very difficult time for them.

“Officers are continuing to investigate the circumstances around this collision and encourage anyone who may of witnessed the incident to please contact Dyfed-Powys Police on 101 quoting incident number DP-20181124-154.”