The deaths of two much-loved pets are the latest incidents prompting residents to call for something to be done on their “death trap” road.

Residents of Lunsford Lane, Larkfield, are calling for a lowered speed limit and cameras to be installed, having campaigned for years for something to be done.

Last week, Bethan Pierce’s cat Pudsey was found lifeless by the food and wine convenience shop on the road.

And just months earlier, her neighbour, Martyn Agate’s Maine coon cross was also killed.

The dad-of two-said: “I felt guilty. He had been a house cat and he’d pop out for a wee and come back in as they do.

“It was about 8.30pm and he indicated he wanted to go out so I opened the back door.

“I didn’t see him go over the front and about half an hour later I went out to call him and he never came back.”

It was there that Bethan informed him his kitten, which he had only had for a few weeks, had been run-over.

The-mum-of-two said: “It’s a death trap - people drive on this road so quickly.”

The long stretch of road, which connects with the A20, has a limit of 30mph but drivers often travel at speeds far higher with boy racers spotted daily.

Bethan added: “It’s not just our cats that have been killed, I’m forever seeing posts on Facebook.

“There are lots of children around and obviously at school-run time there are loads of kids crossing that road because they live on Lunsford Lane.”

The 28-year-old, who is mum to sons Harvey-Lee, six and Logan, four, added: “They are too young to be going out on their own but for when they are older, I’m worried.”

In January three people were arrested after a hit-and-run on the junction with Winterfield Lane.

And in 2018, KentOnline reported how two women had to be cut free from car after crash on the road.

According to crash and casualty data collected by Kent County Council, between 2018 to 2022 there were 10 accidents on Lunsford Lane.

Now Bethan is hoping to start a petition to have the speed limit reduced to 20mph and have cameras installed to catch anyone going over.

But her neighbour, who has lived on the lane for nearly 18 years, says the authorities have made the situation worse in recent years.

The 66-year-old said: “They put traffic-calming measures in Castle Way when they built the bypass which increased the traffic in Lunsford Lane greatly.

“If you wanted to go to the Medway Towns on the new system you had to turn left at the traffic lights, immediately right at the next set and then go through a couple sets of traffic lights further along and then it’s put on about a mile and a half on your journey.

“They actually diverted traffic inadvertently down Lunsford Lane.

“As residents we got fed up as the lorries take no notice of the weight restrictions, the drivers take no notice of the speed limit and they cheerfully whizz up here at 50 to 60 miles an hour.”

Martyn spent years campaigning with police, borough and county councillors to install calming measures.

At one point, he and others set up a speed watch which they did for three years but was ultimately abandoned.

He said: “Nothing happened - we saw no benefit from speed watch and the result of that was we all got fed up.

“Why am I standing in the cold suffering abuse from passing motorists?”

By the time lockdown loomed, the pensioner said he was left “disillusioned, disheartened and gave up”.

Larkfield councillor Timothy Bishop (Lib Dem) said: “It’s becoming a cut-through for a lot of people – it is a problem and we are aware of it.

“There is a 30mph speed limit but there is not much else we can really offer.

“Yes, we could start asking whether we could have speed humps but it won’t be recommended because it is a bus route.

“Speed cameras are not favoured by the authorities that can administer them, they only look to put them in where there are big fatalities.

“There may be changes and other legislation or options that come available and we will continue to look at it but at the current circumstances and situation, I don’t think we have an immediate solution.

“It’s very difficult to stop speeding – it is an ongoing issue across the country.”