THE devastated owner of a dog killed on a busy road has called for safety measures to be put in place.

Victor Bradford, 67, held his seven-year-old border terrier, Eddie, as he died after being hit by a car in Cressing Road, Witham, near two mini roundabouts.

Mr Bradford, who was an advanced driving instructor for 22 years and more recently a London bus driver, believes a speed bump would help.

He said: “We had a delivery guy open the gate and our dog ran out.

“I asked him to drop it over the gate but he opened it and the dog ran out.

“Traffic going towards Braintree does not slow down very much because of its design, it just looks like a bend.

“I was unloading my car and we have heard a bang. I didn’t know what to do, I just lay in the road with him and he died.

“The damage was awful, he died in a lot of pain. I saw his eyes glaze over, I thought I could just comfort him.

“Something needs to be done, it could have been a child dead.”

Braintree and Witham Times:

Mr Bradford says neighbours have suggested a zebra crossing, but he believes this would create more problems as people would then have to park in the road because of blocked driveways.

He said: “I come around that bend many times but never come round as fast as some of those people.

“I suspect the best way is a speed bump and I’m against them normally. It’s cheap, easy to do and it slows traffic.

“People stopped to help, that’s the nice thing. The driver stopped about 200 yards up.

“Someone from the vets came and picked him up and took him to the surgery and did adrenalin but he was too badly injured.

“I reckon it was 20 or 30 seconds before he died on me.”

An Essex Highways spokesman: “This man has our sympathy — losing a beloved pet in this way is horrible and we insist that every driver sticks to the speed limit, or below.

“The best way to take forward any proposed safety improvements is to contact your local Essex county councillor who can raise it at the Braintree Local Highways Panel.”

Mr Bradford is hoping to track down the people who stopped to help after the incident on April 8, particularly one woman who tried to resuscitate Eddie.

Contact the Times on 01376 334338.