Bonfire Night warning after dog 'terrified by sudden fireworks' hit and killed by train

Michelle Kennedy said unannounced fireworks led to the death of family dog Mida, who ran off after she was spooked during a walk with her father and was hit by a train

A dog owner has issued an urgent Bonfire Night warning after his dog became so spooked by fireworks that she ran into the path of a speeding train.

Michelle Kennedy said her father, Michael, left for a walk one evening with their two Bearded Collies in Berwick-Upon-Tweed but returned home with just one. Distraught Ms Kennedy said that her dad went for the stroll with the two pooches - named Dezzie and Mida - before he expected Bonfire Night festivities to begin.

Unfortunately, a nearby caravan site had been cleared and was holding an impromptu display without warning after Michael left for the ill-fated walk. The family, initially fearing Mida was just missing, was later heartbroken to discover the dog's remains on local train tracks.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, Michelle said: "My dad was walking our two Bearded Collies around 5pm on Bonfire Night. It was just starting to turn to twilight, so it was not quite dark yet. He thought he would walk the dogs before it became dark and fireworks started."

She added: "The [caravan park's] show was about 100 metres from where my dad was, and both dogs got a fright and ran away. My dad managed to get a hold of Dezzie, but lost Mida. After some two days of searching by the whole community, she was discovered on the train track and had been hit by a train."

The experience has led Michelle and her family to join a growing chorus of voices calling for fireworks to be banned for general sale to ensure similar tragedies cannot happen again. She said they should only ever be used for large organised displays, and that pet owners should receive plenty of advance warning.

The movement to ban fireworks has grown exponentially in recent years, with one group sending a million-strong petition earlier this week calling on the government to widen current laws. Julie Doorne, from Grantham in Lincolnshire, will deliver her petition to Number 10 later today pushing for legislation that would restrict firework use to dates of traditional festivals like Diwali.

The petition is supported by the RSPCA, and also calls for a reduction in the maximum decibel level. Under current laws, people can only set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, with the exception of November 5, New Year's Eve, Chinese New Year, and Diwali.