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More on KentOnline
A family has been left heartbroken and tormented after their beloved dog was run over and killed by a car.
A Fiat 500 hit Eddie, a four year-old working cocker spaniel, at Dover Road, Walmer, on Friday.
The incident happened at 12.30pm opposite the junction of Downlands. The vehicle was coming into Walmer from the Ringwould Straight.
Police have been informed and dashcam footage has been supplied showing the tragic incident and the registration of the vehicle concerned.
Devastated Rose Clapton, who bought the family dog as a pup, now hopes something positive can come from Eddie's death.
She is appealing for speed cameras to be sited at the stretch of road, which has for years had continuous issues with vehicles going too fast after the speed reduces from 50mph to 30mph.
She said: "It's a really fast stretch of road. There's no (effective) traffic calming. I've found since this has happened there's a major community need for it. My in-laws have lived there for years and years and have always had difficulty getting off the drive because of the traffic.
"Since this happened to Eddie, so many people have come out and said something needs to be done on that road because there's always something happening there."
Residents, who have had concerns about the road for years, have been meeting with councillors from Walmer Parish Council to discuss solutions in recent months but the Mercury understands no firm resolution has been reached. There is a flashing speed reminder sign, but the speeding continues.
The road falls in the parishes of Walmer and Ripple and Dover Road resident Vernon Recas is now calling for cross-parish intervention to create a Highways Improvement Plan for consideration by Kent Highway Services.
A spokesman from Kent Highways Services said: "Speeding is a motoring offence.
"The installation of any new deterrents will depend on the accident history of the road, and they will need to be agreed by the various agencies. A request for speed cameras will need to be dealt with by the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership."
Kent Police has been asked to comment.
Eddie's story has struck a chord with many on Facebook after Mrs Clapton posted about the incident.
Many have posted kind words and the activity led to dashcam footage being supplied.
Eddie had just come back from a walk along Walmer seafront with Mrs Clapton's in-laws.
They had adopted him from Mrs Clapton 18 months ago when her family moved to a place with a smaller garden. His new home had a large garden and had the benefit of retired owners. It meant Mrs Clapton and her family could still be part owners, seeing Eddie when they visited.
He was on a short lead at the time of the incident. Mrs Clapton understands when he saw his house he stepped forward knowing he was going home. His owners were on the pavement just inches from the moving car but Eddie was fatally hit.
Mrs Clapton said the loss has had a devastating impact on the whole family, who are tormented by what happened to him. She feels the driver did not fulfil a moral obligation to stop.
She is concerned how close her in-laws were to being hurt too, and believes the same thing could just as easily have happened to a toddler or child.
After an outpouring of support on social media she has thanked everyone who has sent kind words, especially the person who came forward with dashcam footage.
