A FAMILY have been left distraught after their pet cat was killed by a motorist who they claim was speeding in a residential street.

They said the man only stopped his car to move the dying animal to the side of the road before driving away, instead of calling for help.

Claire Goodman, the owner of Ebony the cat, said a neighbour alerted her to the incident outside her home in Tayler Road, Northleach, at 5pm last Tuesday.

Claire said: “My daughter is distraught, we are all distraught. I couldn’t believe he just left Ebony there. My daughter could have walked around the corner and seen it or a toddler could have seen it.

“It worries me that it could have been a child. This is an area with a lot of children and elderly people.”

Claire said that Ebony, a rescue cat she took in two years ago, could have been saved if the man had been driving a little slower.

She said drivers often use Tayler Road to avoid traffic in the nearby High Street. Gloucestershire County Council is planning to speak to Tayler Road residents about measures which could be taken to tackle speeding in the 30mph road.