KAREN TOMPKINS, of Montagu Road, Kingsbridge, writes:

There many wildlife deaths on the roads but so many of them could be avoided with a little bit of care, common sense and desire from the people who drive around here.

This is a sad story for animal lovers to hear but I hope it will increase awareness of the plight of the smaller animals.

Driving back into Kingsbridge on Sunday at noon, just past the Aune Valley meat company from Woodleigh turn, the car coming towards me slowed and swerved out slightly into my lane – it made me look into its path only to see a very distressed mummy mallard duck and her 10 stripey babies trying to get up onto the bank..

I stopped my car, jumped out and, with the help of a young cyclist, held up the traffic and ran across to her aid – too late for three of her babies – because the cars that followed the car that swerved instead of stopping, drove right over them.

I was able to get the mummy up the bank and scoop up – three in each hand – six of the tiny ducklings – and the cyclist lifted the other one and put them through the hedge to follow the highly distressed mummy.

The motorists involved should have heard their plaintive quacks – it was heartbreaking and to see the three squashed dead babies.

So please, all you motorists out there, if you see any wildlife in the road, please stop and help them. Don't leave it to the people behind you – it does not exonerate you from blame. Who are you to ignore their plight, do you not have consciences anymore?

If that motorist had stopped instead of driving around – the others behind would have stopped and the deaths could have been avoided.

Yes I know that some may say that a fox would have got them anyway, but that is nature – we humans put that road in the way.

Where was the humanity in the motorists?

I pray for their consciences and thank the cyclist for his help and apologise to him for the rather foul verbal descriptions of the motorist concerned that spilled out of my mouth in the aftermath.