AN ANIMAL lover who helps reunite pets with their owners has joined a campaign to crack down on speeding in Tranent after witnessing a number of cats die on the roads.

Carla Cross – a volunteer with a UK support group which helps trace pets and support owners – has invested in her own pet microchip scanner after becoming concerned about pets being struck on the road and going missing in the town.

And she is appealing to owners to make sure that their pets are microchipped to make it easier for them to be identified – whether they are found alive or dead.

Carla, who works for East Lothian Council, said: “I bought the scanner to help after becoming concerned with the number of cats going missing in Tranent and witnessing accidents on Elphinstone Road, outside my house, where they had been killed.

“We have had some happy reunions where cats and dogs have been identified and been brought safely back to their owners, but it is also about being able to give owners of pets who go missing some closure.

“If we can identify a cat which has died, for instance, and let the owner know then at least they know what happened.”

Kind-hearted Carla is a volunteer with #itsallaboutth animals, a group which offers assistance when people need a stray pet identified, and works to make sure that cats killed on the roads are identified and their owners informed before council street cleaning teams take their bodies away.

The owner of two dogs, she is also a volunteer with charity Barking Mad Dog Rescue, which supports and rescues abandoned dogs in Romania.

Carla gives up holiday time to travel to the country to help the charity with its work and is planning her next trip in April.

She says that speeding on the roads in Tranent has become a concern for many pet owners, particularly with the number of cats which are still being reported missing in the area, and recent accidents.

Last week, an 11-year-old girl was struck on Haddington Road in the town and left in a serious condition (see story at top of page).

It was the third accident on Tranent’s streets in just over a week, with another schoolgirl struck near the same spot and an elderly man taken to hospital after he was hit by a cyclist.

Carla said: “Speed is an issue and safety on the roads concerns people in Tranent.

“Where I am, there is talk of hundreds more homes being built, which will only add to the congestion and problems.

“Something needs to be done to address the issue.”

Councillor Gordon Mackett, ward member for Tranent, said steps needed to be taken to address speeding in the town.

He said: “It’s something we’re speaking to the council about and looking at what measures we can take to calm speeding on all roads into Tranent.”