A DOG spooked by fireworks ran into the road before being killed by a car.

Her owner Hilary Kirkup has told of her devastation over Cocoa's death.

Now Hilary wants loud fireworks to be banned and displays restricted to only one night.

The 64-year-old said Cocoa had been given a sedative shortly before the fireworks were let off.

Hilary, of Fairfield in Cricklade, said: “They were being let off earlier than I expected, so I went to go give her another sedative. But one was let off by our house, which was very loud.

“She ran past me and managed to let herself out of the door. Usually she wouldn’t try to go out but she was so scared by the noise.”

As soon as she noticed the door had been opened, a desperate Hilary and her husband Grant ran outside to look for her.

But soon after they started wandering the streets in Cricklade, they received a call.

She said: “I was phoned by a woman who told me that Cocoa had been hit.

“I don’t know who hit her but the woman and her husband were amazing and really helpful." Hilary told the Adver that her golden retriever collie cross had been frightened of fireworks since she was two.

She said: "Some kids let of some fireworks near her and they thought it was funny and that was an issue ever since.”

“I’m totally devastated. We tried everything we could over the years to make her feel better.”

A petition calling for the ban of fireworks being sold to people and restricting them to venues has been signed by more than 300,000 people.

Hilary said: “I’ve always been against the fact that they go off for such a long time. I believe it should go on for one night and that’s it.

“We've had it to the lead up of the night and now we will have random times. It’s not just the animals, it’s the elderly.

“I’m not against it completely. You can have ones that are silent, and you play music instead. I don’t want them to stop altogether because people do enjoy them. It’s just the noise.”

Hilary and Grant will remember Cocoa for being a loving dog particularly with her grandsons Brandon, five, and Josh, eight.

“She was the gentlest and most loving dog there is. She was very intelligent.

"Anyone who ever met her just fell in love with her. Cocoa was so gentle with my grandsons too and always loved playing tug-of-war.”