ANGRY Atworth villagers came out in force over the weekend to protest against the speed and volume of traffic passing through the village following near misses with children and pets.

More than 100 residents lined the streets with banners, placards and signs encouraging drivers to stick to the 30mph speed limit which was supported by Churchfields School PTA, members of both the parish council and the local Community Speedwatch Team

The peace protest was organised and led by local resident Sarah Horrell, 47 of Bath Road who came up with the idea just three weeks ago.

“It all started when I was looking on Facebook about a cat that had been killed by a driver. It happened to be my daughter’s friend’s cat and the person who witnessed it commented on how fast the car was travelling and I just said we need to do something which eventually led to the protest.

“We know there is a problem in the village and I am a childminder and so I know how dangerous the zebra crossing is with having lots of children so I deal with it on a daily basis.

“We are not going to wait for a tragedy to happen, what we are going to do is make a difference before it happens.”

The demonstration was a peaceful and good humoured protest with many residents carrying homemade placards reminding motorists of the existing speed limit and suggesting this should be lowered to 20mph.

“It was really well attended and it was quite interesting on what we discovered about the driving in the village. No one realised there was a zebra crossing in the village and people were unable to cross as a result of it,” the mum-of-four added.

The parish council is now looking to fund and install halo lights around the zebra crossing in the village as many people are unaware it exists Mrs Horrell believes.

As a result of concerns by many villagers a few years ago, the Atworth Traf?c Action Group (ATAG) was set up and although it is now on a hiatus, there are plans to bring it back to send a stronger message to Wiltshire Council.

Mrs Horrell added: “We feel this is just the beginning because every person who notices us will think about how fast they are going and if we make even half slow down then we’ve achieved something.

“Once you suggest something it is best to back it up with action.”