7-year-old takes road safety into his own hands by scowling at speeding cars outside his house

A seven-year-old took up road safety matters into his own little hands after his pet cat was run over by a speeding driver. Young Harry Cannell, from Mattishall, Norfolk, England, is on a mission to raise awareness about the dangers of irresponsible driving by shooting a stern glare at vehicles going too fast on his road. The lad's efforts have already been making a difference in the area as he proudly informed local media that drivers "did listen" after he scolded them for speeding. Although he is years away from getting a driving license, even young Harry knows that traffic rules are no child's play.

According to BBC, wearing a hi-vis jacket, Harry stands out on his drive next to a large sign put up by his family and waves at those who keep within the limit. However, when he spots an overspeeding vehicle approaching, he scrunches his little face and shoots the driver a disapproving scowl. The boy's mother Claire Cannell revealed that Harry became concerned about speeding after the family cat Trevor was run over last month on the 30mph road outside their home. Following the loss of his pet, he decided to keep an eye on the traffic going past his home.

"I basically stood out front and told drivers to slow down and if there was another car coming the other way I told the other one to stop," Harry said during an appearance on This Morning, reports Daily Mail. "They were listening to me."

Cannell explained that losing their beloved pet was "horrific" for the family and that Trevor was "truly part of the family," even accompanying them on the school run. "Unfortunately he'd come out that evening and was knocked over on the road," she said of the tragic accident. "Obviously in lockdown as well it made it that much harder. We were already under a lot of pressure and stress and I know people say 'It's just a cat,' but it was horrific really."

"He was such a wonderful cat. He would come on the school run and wait in the bushes, he was well and truly part of the family," she added. Trevor is the second pet to be killed on the road in the last four years and the family is working with local authorities to reduce the speed limit of their road. "We're 30 at the moment," Cannell explained. "We've been working with the local police and a solicitor to see if we can get the speed limit reduced down to 20, just to make it a little bit safer."

"People obviously just fly down here,"  she said. "Being a country lane not everyone obeys the law. We've had lots of animals killed on this road, my concern is how long will it be until a child is injured or worse."

When Harry decided he wanted to do something about Trevor's death, Cannell got him a hi-vis vest and bought a sign saying "slow - children and animals" for the garden fence so as to alert approaching drivers. "I've stood out in my driveway with a really bright jacket on telling people to stop if there's another car coming the other way," Harry explained. 

Despite the heatwave — which has seen temperatures soar above 37 C — Harry has stuck to his rigorous campaigning although he admitted that he's 'boiling' in his high-vis jacket. "It's been a bit hot. I'm itching at the moment because I'm boiling," he said. Harry's efforts caught the attention of the local police force, who reached out to the family after Cannell posted about it on Facebook. Two Norfolk police officers visited their home to see the young lad in action and even let him try out their speed gun while wearing one of their jackets. "We didn't get any speeders, most were going at 28mph (45km/h)," said Harry. Cannell revealed that the experience made her son's day as "he wants to be a policeman and he thinks officers are superheroes."