Eight-year-old Martha Iles-Pound has a message she wants speeding drivers to hear

Fed up of people speeding past her home in Five Mile Drive in Cutteslowe, the Wolvercote Primary School pupil spent her May Day bank holiday weekend holding out signs urging drivers to slow down through the residential area.

The Year 3 student made the signs – which said 'please slow down' and had a '20mph' symbol– by hand after school.

Martha said: "Every day and every night people go too fast down our road and it scares me that someone could get killed.

"My mum can't see so it is harder for her to cross the road and I am scared she could get hurt.

"When we get in or out of the car they shoot past us and a few times my family and friends have nearly been hit.

"When I go roller blading or on my pogo-stick I feel scared that if I fell into the road a fast car would not have time to stop."

Proud mum Kate, who is visually impaired, said she had not even finished making dinner before Martha had finished making the signs.

The 40-year-old said: "She just came home and was so determined and focused on making them and spent the afternoon outside holding them.

"Some drivers gave her the thumbs up and I think that really encouraged her.

"Someone came up to her with some sweets and said we needed more people like her in the world.

"I'm incredibly proud of her, for the fact that she had the initiative to just go and do it and that she felt so strongly about an issue."

But not everyone driving past was as receptive to her campaign.

Martha said: "Some people did not even look or notice me.

"One person, who was already driving really fast, sped up even more when they saw me.

"I like to see people going by but I just wish they could go at the proper speed."

Over the weekend Martha was joined by her 11-year-old brother Felix and a neighbour as they continued to raise awareness to drivers.

Mrs Iles-Pound added: "There was a little group of them by the end of the weekend.

"It was like a kids campaign, which was fantastic to see."