Girls heartfelt plea to stop speeding

WHAT started out as a playful afternoon in the garden for two young Belton girls turned into a horror story, as they witnessed a cat stumble home with severe injuries after being hit by a car.

Courtney Evans and Brittany Purl, aged 11 and 10, were enjoying the sunshine on Sunday when Courtney's pet cat Ellie limped into the garden with horrific injuries.

Two-year-old Ellie had severe facial injuries - her jaw was broken and her right eye was hanging out - but she managed to get to her Fern Gardens home, leaving the girls hysterical.

And the accident prompted Courtney and Brittany to write to The Mercury pleading for drivers to slow down.

The drama unfolded at about 1pm as Courtney's mum explained. She said: “The kids were playing in the paddling pool in the back garden when Ellie came in. There was a lot of blood and her right eye was hanging out. Ellie had been out the front but she still managed to get home even though she had bad injuries.”

The family took Ellie to an out-of-hours vet in Lowestoft where she was X-rayed and operated on the next day.

“The vet said straight away she had been hit by a car,” explained Mrs Evans.

Ellie suffered a broken jaw and lost her right eye and some teeth. She returned home to Belton on Tuesday and is recovering well from her ordeal. She is due to go back to the vets today for a check-up.

Mrs Evans said the accident should act as a warning to other drivers to slow down.

She said: “We live in a quiet cul-de-sac but cars still fly round the corner. A lot of children play outside around here and next time it might not be a cat that gets hit.”

Eleven-year-old Courtney, who will start Oriel High School in September, said she had been “shocked” by the accident, along with her eight-year-old sister Georgia, and friend Brittany.

“It was quite shocking and we want to tell people to kill their speed, not our Ellie. There are lots of children that play out and it would be worse if a child was hit,” said Courtney.