Witnesses say they heard a ‘screech and a thump’ moments before a collision in Bungay which killed a 42-year-old man, a court has heard.

Andrew Saunders, 50, of Swan Close, Halesworth, has denied careless driving before a collision in Bridge Street in the early hours of Friday May 13, 2016, which claimed the life of Shane Lay, from Broome.

Yesterday a jury at Ipswich Crown Court heard from witnesses who came to the aid of Mr Lay as he lay ‘unconscious but breathing’ in the middle of the road.

They heard that he had been drinking on the night of the tragedy, and was ‘merry’ and swaying’ when he left friend Hayley Wooland’s house in Upper Olland Street to walk home with his husky Labrador cross Max at around 12.50am.

Jane Mounser, whose house overlooks the scene, said she heard a loud noise while she lay in bed watching TV.

“It was about 1.30am and I heard this screech and a thump as the car went down the road,” she said.

“The next thing I heard was a dog barking.”

Mrs Mounser went out to see what had happened with her husband Kevin to find Mr Lay in the middle of the road with a piece of car bumper resting under his head.

She said although she did not see the car that struck Mr Lays she said it sounded like it was ‘going quite fast’.

“When you have lived on a street for a long while you get used to the noises of what is going slow and what is going quite quick,” she said.

Adrian Broom, who also lived in Bridge Street, said he heard a screech and thud but thought someone may have hit a bin.

He said he heard what sounded like a car accelerating away.

Those who rushed out to help Mr Lay blocked cars from coming down the road while he was put in the recovery position.

Mr Lay was rushed to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridgeshire but died of multiple injuries.

Giving evidence, Miss Wooland described him as ‘really nice man’ who was a ‘bit of a character’.

On the first day of the trial on Wednesday, prosecutor David Wilson told the court that blood found under Saunders’ Nissan Qashqai matched Mr Lay’s and that missing parts from the car were also found at the scene.

The trial continues.