THREE members of the same family were killed after being hit by a car while out on a walk with their dog.

A 47-year-old driver was arrested after a 37-year-old man, his 15-year-old son, and his 12-year-old daughter all died after a collision near Dalton-in-Furness.

Tributes have been paid to the victims of crash, identified as dad Joshua James Flynn and teenagers Coby-Jay and Skylar.

The crash occurred on Abbey Road outside the town on Sunday afternoon.

Despite attendance from police, paramedics and fire crews, all three were pronounced dead at the scene.

There was sombre atmosphere in Dalton this week as residents struggled to come to terms with what had happened.

St Mary’s Church opened up to allow people to pay their respects in quiet prayer and to light candles for the family.

Police said the mother was being supported by family liaison officers following the tragic incident.

The driver of the vehicle, a Peugeot 206, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and three counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

The deaths have led to an outpouring of sympathy in the area for the Flynn family.

Floral tributes have been left to the family by the scene of the collision.

Rev canon Ruth Crossley, of St Mary’s Church said: “It’s such a shocking thing to have happened.

“At times like this people want to do something. So we decided to do this.

“We want to do whatever we can support people.

“We want to be there for the community.”

Dalton councillor Steve Nott said: “It’s tragic and it really is going to touch the whole community.

“It has saddened people to the core.”

Tributes were paid to the children, who attended Furness Academy and before that Cambridge Primary School, both in Barrow.

In a letter to parents, Furness Academy headteacher Simon Laheney said: “The loss of Coby-Jay and Skylar from our school community has left a deep void filled with sadness and the numbness we all feel now will take a long time to fade.”

Police had not charged anyone in relation to the incident at the time of going to press.

Anyone with dash cam footage of the collision has been asked to get in touch by calling officers on 101.