BEING told one of your friends has died should not be something any child has to go through.

Sadly, that was what some youngsters in Southmoor had to face after their 12-year-old classmate, named locally as Mateusz Kucinski and known as Matty, was killed in a collision on the A420 at the weekend.

Today, they pay tribute to the Matthew Arnold School pupil and paint a picture of a happy, cheerful and popular young boy.

The community wants to see safety improvements to the notoriously dangerous road.

Figures reveal there were 21 fatalities on the road between 2002 and 2012.

The fatality at the weekend is the second in a week – a Swindon man in his 30s died after a collision between Buckland and Highworth on Sunday, April 6.

Council members are right to call for safety improvements to the road.

They want to see the speed limit lowered and Cllr Melinda Tilley is taking the matter up with the county council.

Yesterday, police and highways staff conducted a traffic management study.

But is it too little, too late?

It’s vital the council, police and community work together to find a safety solution before any more lives are lost.