A ST MARY Bourne resident, who suffered the “heartbreaking” loss of three of her cats in three years on the same road, is pleading with drivers to slow down when passing through the village.

Alison Newell, 46, of Hirst Cops, was hit with the devastating news that her two-year-old tabby cat, named Max, had been killed while attempting to cross Egbury Road.

It is an all-too-familiar woe for the mother-of-two, who suffered the loss of her Savannah pedigree, Leyla, on the same stretch of road in October last year, less than 24 months after losing her first cat Mr Pots, whom she had adopted from her mother when she passed away in 2007.

The full time nanny blames speeding drivers, who use the road for school runs and as a cut-through to Whitchurch railway station.

Describing Max’s death as the ‘final straw’ she said: “It’s so upsetting losing a pet – I don’t think some people realise how much of a bereavement it is.

“People will say ‘oh it’s just a cat’ but they aren’t, they are part of the family.”

Talking about the problems of Egbury Road she added: “The biggest problem is that when you approach the village from any other road it is always 40mph but on Egbury Road it goes from national speed limit straight down to 30mph.

“I know Hampshire County Council are doing something about that but it’s the attitude of drivers that needs to change.”

The 46-year-old hopes to take action on speeders and volunteered to restart the community Speedwatch scheme, which was pulled in May after a Mail Online article referred to one of its former volunteers as a ‘Speed Nazi’.

Mrs Newell’s idea has also received backing from St Mary Bourne Parish Council.

Chairman David Peart said: “It has been a great issue for the parish council for a long time and we have been trying different ways to deal with it for a number of years.

“We’ve recently decided to invest in a static display – hopefully that will make people think about their speed when driving in the village.”