Friends are struggling to come to terms with the death of a “wonderful lady” who died after she was hit by a car and thrown into a Belisha beacon. 

According to friends Christie McHugh, 33, asked a woman to move her vehicle because it was blocking her own car parked at the Lord Kitchener pub in East Barnet Road, New Barnet.

They said the vehicle drove into Mrs McHugh after the dispute, carrying her on the bonnet before hurtling her into a Belisha beacon at a zebra crossing outside Sainsbury’s.

Mrs McHugh's five-year-old son and six-month-old daughter are thought to have been in her car when the incident happened.

A passer-by tried to revive her before paramedics arrived but she died at the scene.

Flowers have been left beside the zebra crossing in tribute to Mrs McHugh, who lived near to the pub. 

She worked as a personal assistant to George Leonidou at Luxx Light Technology in High Street, High Barnet, for four years.

Mr Leonidou said: “We’re all in shock. It’s absolutely awful. She was a wonderful lady -  I couldn’t ask for a nicer person to work for me.

"She was always smiling, she loved her family, her kids and she was an amazing colleague to work with. She’s sorely missed by all the friends in the organisation.

“We’re just totally lost without her. Everyone in the company adored her. All we can do is sit here thinking about her poor family that’s been left behind – her daughter who’s going to grow up not knowing her mother and a son who’s constantly asking when his mum’s going to come back.

“I spoke to her husband yesterday – he was in shock. They were the salt of the earth, a really nice family. For something like this to happen to them is tragic.”

Following the incident police recovered a Vauxhall Insignia and arrested a woman at an address in Barnet in connection with the inquiry.

She was taken to a north west London police station and was subsequently bailed pending further enquiries to a date in late April.