DOZENS of migrating toads were squashed to death or maimed on a country road in Great Leighs, sparking calls for a volunteer patrol to help them cross safely.
More than 50 common toads were killed or injured while crossing Moulsham Hall Lane to return to their pond for the mating season.
Diana Parker, of Evelyn Road, spotted the "carnage" in her headlights on Saturday, April 13, when she was driving home at around midnight.
"It was really sad because there was so many just squished on the road – some just with their back legs squished.
"It was really hard to miss them all – there was just so many."
Common toads can travel as far as a kilometre in large groups to return to their pond for mating season, which normally starts around February but has been delayed by the cold snap.
Mrs Parked says it is hard to spot them because, unlike frogs, the toads crawl across the road instead of hopping.
"It looks like a leaf blowing in the wind," she added.
Her husband Andrew Parker, 46, who has worked with ponds since he was eight, and is owner of Evergreen Landscapes, carries the toads safely across the road when he can.
The amphibian expert said that Saturday was most likely the beginning of a week's worth of toad crossings, and said that a volunteer patrol to help them cross, and clear warning signs were needed to avoid more unnecessary toad deaths.
"I have recovered many a toad and frog over the years – but we should organise a proper patrol. People just don't know about it," he added.
Mr Parker also suggests the new owners of Great Leighs racecourse, which is next door, could install the two warning signs for motorists as a gesture to the community.
After MC Racetracks were given the go-ahead to beam 74 floodlights on the ground below, residents have expressed fears that local wildlife may be left confused between night and day.
Yet Mr Parker said this could be an opportunity for a valuable compromise with the animal kingdom. "I could tell them exactly where to put the signs," added Mr Parker.
Yet racecourse chairman Keith Brown has ruled out the prospect of funding signs. He said: "While we are keen to minimise any impact of the racecourse on local wildlife, signs on Moulsham Hall Lane would also require street lighting for it to be effective and so is not within our remit."
