FRIGHTENED residents are pleading to the council to install speed bumps following an incident which saw a drink-driver plough through a field of horses. 

Police were called to Cows Tarn Lane in Barrow at 9.30pm on Tuesday after a vehicle smashed through a hedge and ended up in the field. 

Police charged a 27-year-old male from Barrow with driving a motor vehicle when above the legal alcohol limit and using a motor vehicle with a tyre of less than 1mm tread.

Samatha Chattaway, 26, of Irwell Street, Walney, witnessed the speeding vauxhall plough through the hedge. 

She said: I saw him come past the field next to me. He must have been going 70mph. I see cars driving down there every day and you kind of understand what speed they are doing. 

"I am going to try and get the petition going. If I have to stand outside all night I will. I don't even know if there are 10,000 people in Walney but I'm going to try. It is going to take a death or a hurt animal beforr anythiong is done and we do not want to get to that stage." 

Paula Talbot from Walney is the owner of the field. 

Mrs Talbot, said: "There are people speeding constantly and there will be a fatality one day on that road. It happens all the time. My 17-year-old daughtrer had only just come in from a ride too. 

"A couple were nearly killed by a speeding motorist on that road not so long ago, there are bends you cannot see round. 

"Ideally we want speed bumbs, that is the only way it will stop. I am sometimes in the fieild with the horse at around ten at night and you will just hear them and you know what's coming. 

"The lane was a 60mph zone and it was changed down to a 30mph, but people don't realise it. The hedges need trimmed so people aren't noticing the signs. They are just little signs on a pole. 

"I called the highways department and they told me that there are already signs up showing the speed limit so there is nothing they can do. 

Sally Mitchell, 38, of Plymouth Street, Walney is the owner of one of the horses which was fortunatley left unscathed following the incident on Tuesday. 

She said: "It is just absolutley ridiculous. The amount of times it happens. My five-year old daughter has to ride down that lane everyday on her pony. 

"We want speed bumbs, but even if they were to just put one of those arrow signs to make people aware. The council have said they want 10,000 signatures on a petition before they do anything about it, but that is ludicris. I am pretty paranoid, espesically with my daughter. 

"The car didnt just go through the hedge either, it went through the whole length of the field. What is it going to take, a death before anything is done about it? It is a road for dog walkers too and something must be done about it, it is really frightening." 

A Cumbria county council spokesman, said: "The collision is being investigated by the police and as such we are unable to comment at this time. "Once we receive the accident investigation report, we will discuss its findings and decide if any appropriate action needs to be taken on this section of road."