A COUNTY councillor will look into improving a ‘deathtrap’ pedestrian crossing after a puppy was struck last month.

Stephen James said he was walking his one-year-old dachshund Molly over a pedestrian crossing on the B3187 in Tonedale when she was run over by a van.

Molly was taken to the vets after the incident on November 26 but was put to sleep.

Since Molly’s death, Stephen has been campaigning for traffic calming measures around the pedestrian crossing to prevent future accidents from taking place.

Stephen said: “At night the pillars by the crossing tend to dazzle drivers so they can not see if someone is trying to cross. If there was a ramp or a speed bump before the crossing, the van would have slowed down and Molly may have not been hit.

“That crossing is a deathtrap. If there are not changes on that road soon, somebody will be killed.”

Stephen posted on Facebook about Molly’s death and received “over 20” messages from Wellington locals who said they have also faced near misses around the town.

“It is a now a daily occurrence to have near misses by cars in Wellington.”

Somerset county councillor for Wellington Andrew Govier reached out to Stephen after Molly’s death.

Cllr Govier, said: “I have visited the site and looked at the crossing. It is clear that for some reason there have been a number of near misses as well as the tragic death of a dog recently. I am meeting with officers at the site to have a look at what improvements can be made.

“Residents have suggested that the speed of vehicles and poor lighting could be contributory factors. We will need to look at the options and see what changes could be implemented to make the crossing safer.”