SPEEDING near a primary school in Malvern could cause serious injury or death, say concerned residents.

Rosemary Portman, who lives in Pickersleigh Grove, highlighted the issue of speeding after her beloved cat “Pepper” was run over last week by a speeding car.

In a meeting with ward councillor Beverley Nielsen, she expressed her concerns it could be a child one day.

She said: “I’ve lived here for five years but the situation has become much worse recently.

“With 95 new homes at the top of Pickersleigh Grove there is of course much more traffic moving up and down the road than there ever was in the past.

“Whilst many people are very responsible, it only takes one person driving badly or speeding to cause a bad accident.

“I was very unlucky as I lost my lovely pet cat, but imagine if it was a small child – that would be truly terrible.”

Cllr Nielsen echoed her concerns, highlighting a lack of signage warning drivers of the presence of the nearby Grove Primary School.

She said: “I could not believe there were no signs promoting to drivers the presence of Grove Primary School and Nursery and feel that this is urgently required if we are to do what we can, immediately, to avoid an accident outside the school.

“This school is very close to my heart as a former pupil myself and with many happy memories of my time there.

“However, the road has changed immeasurably since then with new houses and a new community which has sprung up and is in itself welcome.

“What we need now is to take the steps required to ensure that people drive responsibly when they are on Pickersleigh Grove, whether they are from this part of Malvern or from somewhere else.”

Co-head teachers at Grove Primary School and Nursery, Zoe Newton-Smith and Lizzie Guest, said: “As head teachers we share residents’ concerns.

“We think the school needs a higher profile on the road. All other schools have flashing lights outside their gates.

“We think speeding happens mostly in the evenings, however, it just takes one careless driver for something terrible to happen. Our children deserve better.”

Cllr Nielsen added: “I am looking to colleagues in our Highways team – who I know have so many demands on their time – to prioritise this in light of our safety concerns.”