A MOTHER whose two cats were killed on her street is calling for drivers to slow down.

Emma Totterdell fears next time it could be a child hit in Bubwith Road in Chard, regularly used as a cut-through to the Millfield Industrial Estate.

Emma, 38, said her cats Obi and Tigga were knocked down within days of each and wants motorists to be more responsible.

She said: “We lost two cats and next time it could be a child.

“The first cat was knocked over and left to die in the road – luckily the next driver that came along saw him in the road and recognised he belonged to us, so he wasn’t damaged further.”

Emma, a registered nurse, has joined forces with neighbours to raise awareness of the problem.

They are calling on drivers to slow down otherwise they could be forced to campaign to lower the current 30mph speed limit.

Emma said: “Over the past 18 years living on this street the speed of traffic travelling down our road has increased dramatically.

“Our surrounding neighbours agree that something needs to be done with traffic calming measures as lives are too precious to lose.

“My husband witnessed a child falling off their bike into the road in front of a van on the same day as we lost our latest cat.

“Luckily, the van was going at a slow enough speed, which is a rarity.

“We are all very concerned that next time it could be more serious, so we need this to be highlighted.”

Beat officer for Chard Paul Thomas said: “We would always ask motorists to drive sensibly around the town and respect that there may not only be cats but young children close to the roads.

“If residents are concerned with speeding in their area then we would ask them to contact us directly to see if we can resolve the problem.