IT'S NOT just people who suffer from the clocks going back – more than a quarter of the animals killed in the New Forest last year died in the two months after the end of British summertime.

In total, 56 animals were killed during 2017 with 17 dying in early November.

This is a reduction of 40 per cent compared to a decade ago, but, say commoners, there is still much work to be done.

Now they are joining other animal welfare organisations in an attempt to drive down the heartbreaking numbers with a new campaign.

Starting this week, a series of near-life-size silhouettes of Forest animals will tour around built up areas during the winter to encourage local drivers to #add3minutes to their journeys to protect New Forest animals.

The silhouettes will be of five main New Forest animals, including ponies and deer, with numbers depicting how many died each year. Commoners will take them to the the areas where commuters live - local drivers are responsible for the majority of the deaths - asking them to be extra vigilant as the evenings draw in.

The silhouettes are just one part of a wider campaign that includes new temporary warning signs on key roads, the police mobile speed camera van out in the Forest, campaign messaging on bin lorries and social media activity urging drivers to slow down and #add3minutes to their journey.

New Forest drivers will also see temporary road signs on high risk roads during the winter, to prompt drivers to take care in the darker nights.

At Tuesday's campaign launch, at Lymington Town Hall, commoners and the Head Agister spoke about the devastation caused when an animal is hit.

James Young explained the impact on commoners and Jonathan Gerrelli, will describe what happens when he is called to a road accident involving an animal.

And Tony Hockley of the Commoners Defence Association, who is also a behaviour change expert, will be discussing measures to persuade commuters to alter their driving behaviour in the New Forest.