A FRIEND of the brother of a teenage girl killed by drivers racing in a 30mph zone is pushing his body to the limit to help pay a bill the council sent to a charity set up in her memory.

Liam Harrison is running 12 marathons in as many days to raise money for road safety charity Think Amy, set up in memory of Amy Hofmeister, 13, who died after being hit by a car in Blackbrook Way, Taunton, in 2011.

The cash will help pay for road safety boards put up on the two roundabouts at either end of the road after Taunton Deane Borough Council slapped a £1,680 annual bill on the charity.

Liam, 22, who was brought up in the county town, is setting out from Seville, in Spain, on the first 26-mile run on Tuesday and hopes to complete the 12th run in the Plaza Mayor, in Salamanca, where he now works as an English language teacher.

"I've done a few half and full marathons before and keep fit running, going to the gym and playing football, but I wanted to really push myself and do something different," said Liam, who went to Bishop Fox's School, in Taunton, with Amy's brother Ben.

"I'll be following the route of the Camino de Compostela pilgrimage as it's a safe route, and I'll be finishing each run at a town with somewhere to stay before continuing the next day."

Liam added: "I was with Ben the day he got the news through about Amy and had to rush off, which makes this extra special for me.

"I've been to his house so many times and knew Amy well. She was such a lovely girl, just like Ben - very extrovert and gregarious and used to hang out with us.

"I couldn't believe what happened. It's incredible what Ben and his mum and all of them have done.

"They are so inspirational and have shown great strength in the way they've coped with such tragedy and have created a charity to help stop it happening to someone else."

Amy was killed when the driver of a car racing a car driven by his girlfriend mounted the pavement and mowed her down. Both drivers were later jailed for causing her death by dangerous driving.

Amy's mother, Jane Hofmeister set up Think Amy in the wake of the tragedy and has installed road safety boards on the roundabouts for a number of years.

Taunton Deane Borough Council has always charged for them, although the bill was met by Somerset County Council's road safety division until it pulled out this year.

The Deane has now billed Think Amy at a discounted rate, saying the income it generates from roundabout sponsorship helps pay for maintenance work.

To sponsor Liam go to uk.virgin.money.giving.com/LiamHarrison51