MOTORISTS are being urged to slow down after a report revealed the number of deer deaths on the county s roads is soaring. The RSPCA is issuing the appeal to drivers after it emerged that 287 deer were hit by vehicles on roads in Cambridgeshire between 2

MOTORISTS are being urged to slow down after a report revealed the number of deer deaths on the county's roads is soaring.

The RSPCA is issuing the appeal to drivers after it emerged that 287 deer were hit by vehicles on roads in Cambridgeshire between 2003 and 2005. In Peterborough, the total for the same period was 52.

The report also found the country's worst recorded road for deer-related accidents was the A14 with 206 reported from 2003 to 2005, being higher than that of Ashdown or Thetford Forest.

It also found the most likely time for drivers to hit a deer is between 6pm and 9pm between the months of September and November.

The report entitled the National Deer Vehicles Collisions Project and conducted by the Deer Initiative reveals that about 60,000 deer are hit by cars in England each year. In about 700 cases, the driver is injured and up to 15 people are killed.

Colin Brody, RSPCA wildlife scientist said: "This report shows the sheer number of deer killed or maimed on our roads every year. Motorists can help to reduce the death-toll by slowing down when they see warning signs and being ready to break when they see deer, especially at dusk or dawn.