A van driver knocked down and killed an elderly pedestrian after he was distracted by his dog on the passenger seat, a court heard.

Edward Barlow, 95, was crossing London Road in Southborough when he was hit by the Ford transit van driven by Billy Dunn.

The 20-year-old told a nurse soon afterwards his dog Diesel had come across and he pushed it away shortly before the tragedy happened.

But he later claimed it had happened earlier and not at the time of the accident, Maidstone Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Sophie Shotton said a witness was waiting to leave the car park of Tesco Express near the junction of Springfield Road on December 29 2014 when she saw Mr Barlow crossing the road.

He appeared to be about halfway across towards Tesco as the van approached in the direction of Tunbridge Wells.

"It came around the bend normally," said Miss Shotton. "It didn't appear to be speeding. It didn't appear the driver had seen Mr Barlow.

"The offside of the van struck him. He went to the floor."

Another witness heard a dull thud and turned around to see the aftermath. The van's wing mirror had come off. Mr Barlow was lying in the road, not moving.

The witness went to the nearby St Andrews Medical Centre to get help. Doctors tried to save Mr Barlow’s life but he died at the scene from multiple injuries.

Dunn told the nurse he was driving along and his dog started to come across, so he pushed him away.

"All of a sudden he was aware something had happened," said Miss Shotton. "He didn't see the man in front of him. He said there had been glare from the sun."

He told a police officer: "My dog was trying to get onto my side. I pushed him away. I looked up. I saw an object. I went to hit the brakes. It was too late. I hit someone."

But when interviewed on February 17 last year, Dunn said he did remember seeing a man in front of him. His dog did come across but it was earlier and not at the time of the collision, he added.

"He said the dog invaded his space for a few seconds after he passed some traffic lights," said Miss Shotton. "He denied being distracted by his dog. He said the dog had not been restrained in the van."

She alleged the later account was to try to distance himself from the truth.

Dunn, of Liptraps Lane, Tunbridge Wells, denies causing death by careless driving.

The trial continues.