A MAN has admitted causing death by careless driving following the death of a mum of two in Wrecclesham last September - just days after volunteers revealed they have caught more than 300 drivers speeding through the village in just two months.

Amy Harris, 38, had just collected a client’s dog from a house on the A325 Wrecclesham Road and was walking on the pavement between the junctions of Echo Barn Lane and Quennells Hill at around 11.30am on September 19 when she was hit by a white Peugeot Boxer van.

The police, ambulance service and an air ambulance attended the incident, but Mrs Harris was declared dead at the scene. The six-month old puppy Cooper also sustained fatal injuries.

A 40-year-old man from Guildford appeared at South West Surrey Magistrate’s Court in Guildford on Tuesday, and entered a guilty plea to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

His case has been sent to Guildford Crown Court for sentencing and he has been disqualified from driving until the case has been completed.

It comes after a community group set up in the wake of the tragedy, Wrecclesham Village Voice (WVV), held its second public meeting at St Peter’s School.

This meeting was held amid a flurry of snow on Saturday, March 17, primarily to give feedback on what progress had been achieved on the many activities discussed at the first meeting, most notably the safety issues on the A325 in Wrecclesham.

Speakers including councillors Paula Dunsmore and Wyatt Ramsdale, and secretary of WVV, Lynley Griffiths, were joined at the meeting for a question and answer session by South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt and Surrey County Council’s cabinet member for highways Colin Kemp, plus an audience of about 60 people - with Mrs Dunsmore opening the meeting.

Achievements to date included the planting of 2,000 spring bulbs in October, a litter picking day in March and the cutting back of vegetation from overgrown paths on the A325.

But most significantly, the work done by the newly formed Speedwatch group led by Mark Simmonds  was explained and discussed.

Eight volunteers have now been trained by Surrey Police and despite the fact they have to wear high visibility jackets, put signs out and have clear sight lines, they have ‘clocked’ 339 offenders in two months.

During February, on the key roads they were identifying an offender on average every three minutes including one person doing 57mph, almost double the village’s 30mph limit.

Any suggestion that the worst offenders must be ‘outsiders’ has also been rubbished, with the group revealing that 30 per cent of offenders are locals with addresses on Wrecclesham Hill, The Street, Echo Barn Lane, St Peters gardens, Sandrock Hill and Burnt Hill Road.

Issues concerning improvements on the road and around the infamous Wrecclesham railway bridge were also addressed by Lynley Griffiths, who explained her research and the responses received directly and indirectly from Surrey Highways, Network Rail and Surrey Police.

Another meeting is planned in April, not least to discuss the speeding evident to the WVV team but “not yet accepted” by Surrey’s highways department, say the community group.

Agreement has been achieved for better signage and road markings. But a pedestrian crossing, 20mph zone, speed cameras - as advocated by Mr Hunt - and moving the bridge protection beam continue to be debated.

Those present, including the MP and councillors, would most like to see a South Farnham bypass, and Mr Ramsdale explained the estimate of £50 million was not budgeted, though the plan remained on a “to do” list at Surrey.

He went on to explain that getting the A325 onto the Major Road Network (MRN), for which the consultation has now closed, represented the best opportunity to achieve funding from central government.

However, he warned that being on the MRN will not guarantee funding and the county council, with WVV’s support, will have to bid for project funding in a process where the criteria will include the project outcomes “supporting economic growth” and “support housing delivery” - adding “a successful bid would come with consequences!”

More detail on all these and other points, including the Q&A session, is available on the Wrecclesham Village Voice website www.wreccleshamvv.co.uk.

Mrs Dunsmore closed the meeting after thanking guests and the audience for braving the snow.

Pictured (left to right) councillor Wyatt Ramsdale, MP Jeremy Hunt and Surrey’s cabinet member for highways Colin Kemp at the latest WVV meeting.