POLICE have urged a taxi driver who saw 23-year-old Thomas Lenton in the hours before his death to come forward.

As reported in the Daily Echo, Mr Lenton, who lived in Verwood, was on foot when he was involved in a collision with a Peugeot 208 on the B3081 Verwood Road.

Police and paramedics rushed to the scene at around 5.45am on Saturday, August 25. However, Mr Lenton died at the scene.

The driver of the blue Peugeot, a 29-year-old woman from Eastleigh, was uninjured.

The collision happened on the border of Hampshire and Dorset, near the Somerley House Waste Recycling Centre.

Detectives from Hampshire police's serious collision investigation unit are now leading enquiries into the exact circumstances of the collision.

They say they believe another vehicle may have been involved in the crash.

Officers say they are "particularly keen" to speak to the taxi driver who drove Mr Lenton and two friends from Bournemouth to Verwood in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Sergeant Rik Grant said: “We know that Mr Lenton and his two friends got into a taxi close to the Genting Casino in Bournemouth at around 4.30am and were taken to The Quomp in Ringwood, which would have taken around ten minutes.

“We are keen to speak to the driver of this taxi as he may have information that could help with our investigation.

“We are looking at all possible scenarios surrounding this collision and it may be that another vehicle was involved.

“So we are keen to speak to as many people as possible who were driving in the area around that time, or anyone who might have seen someone walking along the B3081 between 4.40am and 5.45am.

“If you were in the area and think you can help, or if you have any dash cam footage, please get in touch.”

Mr Lenton's family last week paid tribute to their "ray of sunshine".

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting 44180330815.