A GRANDMOTHER, who saw her eight-year-old granddaughter run over and her dog fatally injured in a road accident, has started a campaign to extend Marlborough’s new 20MPH zone.

Hilly Ward was left devastated when the accident happened at Frees Avenue but is now determined to battle for slower limits near Marlborough Common.

New 20MPH signs have just gone up in the central part of the town including the High Street and Kingsbury Street.

But now Mrs Ward, who lives close to the Common, has launched a campaign to get a bush which make visibility bad removed and to reduce the 60MPH speed limit in Frees Avenue.

She said: “It was terrible when the accident happened a few weeks ago. My granddaughter had the young dog Poppy on a lead. I called her to be careful near the road. At that moment she turned around but a car hit her and the dog.”

Her granddaughter escaped with a broken ankle that needed surgery and her 18-month-old Hungarian Viszla dog Poppy suffered serious injuries and could not be saved by vets.

Mrs Ward said: “I am on a mission now. A lot of children who play football and rugby use that area and also people walking their dogs.

“I think the speed limit should come down to 20MPH on Frees Avenue. This is what I will be campaigning for.”

She has received backing from councillor Stewart Dobson who wrote to fellow town councillors and got their backing to remove the hedge and for more discussion on the speed limit.

He wrote: “Opposite the entrance to the Cemetery there is a gap in the bank to enable pedestrians to exit the Common. They stood in the gap and decided it was safe to cross. Unfortunately they did not see that there was a car approaching from the direction of Rockley as it was obscured by the hedge to their right.

“New 40mph. limit signs are located to the south of the Cemetery entrance and therefore cars at the place of the accident in question can legally drive at 60mph.

“I believe that we must try and extend the 40mph. limit to beyond the Cemetery entrance, but may I urge this committee to remove the hedge which obscures oncoming traffic to enable pedestrians crossing the road to see traffic approaching in plenty of time.”

But not everyone is happy with the new 20MPH speed limit in the town centre which has cost around £10,000 to implement.

A number of people have taken to social media to say it will be difficult to enforce and for much of the time it is not possible for traffic to go faster than 20MPH in the High Street.

Mayor Mervyn Hall said: “The new 20mph speed limit is intended to make our, increasingly busy, roads safer.In normal traffic conditions, smooth the flow of traffic and stop it from bunching, so emissions will be lower.”