Dozens of children have been knocked over by cars in Thanet in just six years - sparking fears it is “only a matter of time before another youngster is killed”.

Figures show almost 70 children under the age of 15 have been hurt by vehicles in the district between 2015 and 2021 - more than any other in Kent.

More than 60 residents met to pledge ongoing support for a 20’s Plenty scheme, campaigning for more 20mph limits on Thanet’s roads.

The public meeting on November 10 was called by county councillor for Ramsgate Karen Constantine, who said: “In all my years of being a councillor concerns about traffic and speed are the top issue residents raise with me.”

Thanet has the highest number of serious road traffic accidents in the county for under-15s by a large margin, and has held that position since 2015.

In 2015, a 14 year-old boy, Charlie Richardson, was struck and killed by a car in Westgate.

The car was only travelling at 30mph and the inquest deemed the death was an accident, but campaigners say reducing speeds can mean such tragedies could be avoided.

Labour councillor Rob Yates said: “In general, moving to 20mph will reduce the severity of accidents across the board.”

Earlier this year, Noga Sella, 37, and Yoram Hirshfeld, 81, were killed in an accident in Leopold Street, Ramsgate, which is 30mph but has no speed limit signage.

Mrs Sella’s husband and a girl of primary school age were also injured.

“Our roads should be safe for our children,” said Margate Central’s Cllr Yates.

“Unfortunately it’s only a matter of time before the next child is tragically killed on Thanet’s roads.”

Cllr Yates also pointed to other vulnerable road users in Ramsgate.

“We have sadly witnessed three cyclist deaths on our roads since October last year, and along with Canterbury we consistently have the highest number of cyclist casualties a year,” he added.

“The need for change isn’t about perception, it’s about fact.”

Thanet also has the highest number of total pedestrian casualties according to Kent County Council’s Crash and Casualty Team statistics.

The national campaign group 20’s Plenty says reducing the speed of traffic "helps to create places where walking, cycling, and social interaction takes precedence over traffic, and that it’s better for the environment”.

"Our roads should be safe for our children..."

Ramsgate district councillor Becky Wing outlined how beneficial such a move would be.

“For those in wheelchairs or pushchairs, getting across Ramsgate is difficult,” she said.

“There’s just two crossing points in the town. Safety is residents’ primary concern.

“Ramsgate is too dominated by cars going at ridiculous speeds.”

She is calling for fewer cars on the roads and more pedestrianisation in the town.

“I would like to see ‘15-minute neighbourhoods’ in which you can get to nearly everything you need by walking or cycling, to get people moving and reduce CO2 emissions,” she explained.

Closing the meeting, Cllr Constantine said: “I believe we can ‘win hearts and minds’ on this topic - it won’t be easy but with so many determined residents it’s only a matter of time.

“We can reduce the number of casualties and fatalities and create a better, cleaner, and safer environment.”

A Kent County Council spokesman said: “We have not received any formal request for an area-wide 20mph for Ramsgate.

“If local groups and residents would like to introduce changes to the public highway they would need to demonstrate comprehensive local support, as these measures are not often universally popular and they involve significant expenditure of very scarce public funds.”