A FATHER of three said his children witnessed a horrific scene after their dog was mowed down by a speeding motorist in Potters Bar.

Beloved pet, Milly, a seven year old Basset Hound, was hit and killed outside her family home in Elmfield Road at around 8am on Thursday.

She had escaped through a neighbour's side gate and rushed across the street to see one of her owners, Layla Smith, who was about to leave for work.

Milly was then struck by a large black vehicle. The driver failed to stop at the scene of the accident.

Richard Smith, 35, a NHS psychiatrist, said: “My wife was so shocked and stunned, it was a horrific scene.

“My three children witnessed their precious dog spasming in a large pool of her own blood.

“Their little dog has gone and that's what upsets me the most, that they have had to go through all of this.”

The young girls had been getting ready for school and witnessed the accident from a bedroom window.

Mr Smith said he had to scrape Milly from the ground to retrieve her body. The incident forced the family-of-five to take a day off from work and school.

Mr Smith added: "It is so frustrating we did not get a registration number, but it shows how fast the vehicle was going.

"This should concern everyone. It happened to be my dog in this instance, but it could have been a child or indeed anyone.

"This is a problem with Elmfield Road generally and I would like to urge counsellors to consider speed bumps in this road."

The father of three said the area near his home is used as a rat run by motorists trying to avoid traffic lights in Baker Street.

Since the incident, and in response to other resident's concerns, police have been performing speed checks.

Sergeant David Smith said: "Officers from the Potters Bar Neighbourhood Team spent time with speed boards in Elmfield Road in response to concerns raised by residents about speeding in the area, as well as a recent incident where a dog was struck by a vehicle.

"The speed board is used to monitor the speed of vehicles, which is shown on the display of the device and visible to the driver. I’m pleased to say the majority of drivers were obeying the speed limit and I hope that in the future drivers will continue to drive in accordance with the speed limit."

The Smith family are appealing for any witnesses or people with information regarding Milly's death to contact the police.

Call the non-emergency police line on 0845 3300 222 quoting crime reference number URN153.