AN urgent appeal was this week issued to motorists in West Devon, following a spate of accidents involving animals on moorland roads.

Karla McKechnie, Dartmoor livestock protection officer, said 14 animals had either been killed outright or had to be destroyed by farmers following the incidents. This is in addition to the 39 animals killed on moorland roads since January.

Karla said: 'We've had three cows, one calf, three ponies and seven sheep killed in the last six weeks.

'The accidents have either been in the Wotter area, on the Yelverton to Princetown Road or the Tavistock to Princetown road — and one foal was killed on the road to Bickleigh, off Roborough Down.

'That was only just past the junction, so God knows what speed the driver was doing. The mare was stood over that foal for a whole day.'

Karla said it was unusual to have had three cows killed in such a short period of time.

'I've never known so many cows to be hit. I don't know if they are coming down from the high ground now the nights are drawing in — but can I please urge drivers to slow right down when they are on these roads, specially when it's getting dark, because it's so much more difficult to see the animals.

'The injuries that are inflicted in road traffic collisions are absolutely horrendous, they aren't always killed outright — one of the animals had its leg just hanging off in one of these last accidents.'

Karla said another stretch of road which was proving 'lethal' in terms of accidents involving animals was the B3212 at Bennetts Cross, to the south of Chagford Common.

'I had two foals killed in one night on that piece of road, just after the Warren House Inn — one had a broken back and one had a broken leg — that was within the last six weeks.

'It's a dreadful stretch for accidents because it's long and unfenced and even though the speed limit is 40mph, people just fly along it. And a bit further along when it becomes more winding, people overtake on the bends and that causes problems.'

Karla issued a plea to motorists that if they were unfortunate enough to hit an animal on the road to stop.

'Don't just drive on, call the police or call me, I am the first port of call for the police when animals are hit on the moor anyway.

'Don't just assume it's a little bump and they will be fine — some of these animals are left in a hell of a state.'

Karla said the Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society was currently in consultation with the police over the introduction of extra speed restrictions on moorland roads.

'Something has to be done — 14 animals in six weeks is just not on,' she said.

Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society does have three temporary speed monitors which it used last winter — when speeds at more than 100mph were recorded seven times. The worst incident was of a motorist travelling at 130mph at Sharpitor, between Princetown and Yelverton.

Sgt Dave Anning of Tavistock Police said: 'Unfortunately, most of these accidents will have been caused by local people — visitors tend to respect the 40mph speed limit on the moor.

'People who use moorland roads daily tend to get over-confident and these are the people who are getting involved in accidents — and how nobody has been injured when their car has hit something as large as a cow is incredible.

'My message to people is that the 40mph speed limit is there for a reason — and people should stay within that speed.'

l Karla McKechnie can be contacted on 07873 587561.