To a generation, Tufty the squirrel was synonymous with road safety.
In the 1960s and ’70s and briefly in the 1990s he saved lives by teaching youngsters to stop at the kerb and look both ways before crossing the road.
Now a small community has turned the tables by devising its own safety scheme aimed to protect its dwindling red squirrel population.
At least 10 of the species already under threat by the devastating squirrel poxvirus have been killed by cars on the roads surrounding Charlottetown since the start of last year, making it one of the region’s worst roadkill hotspots.
To cut the carnage, a group of residents have joined Fife squirrel expert Sophie Eastwood to make homemade signs warning drivers about the presence of the animals.
The community council then gave permission to attach the signs featuring red squirrel silhouettes on coloured card along with text reading Caution Red Squirrels! to trees surrounding the village.
Since they went up six weeks ago, there have been no reports of red squirrel deaths on the roads.
Bruce Pairman, who devised the road signs with his wife Linda, said: ”Red squirrels are wonderful and unique animals. It has been quite saddening to see so many of them in and around the town fall victim to cars.”
He added: ”The local community hopes that these road signs will help reduce the number of red squirrel being hit by cars in and around the town by warning drivers to slow down for the animals.”
Ms Eastwood, Fife Coast and Countryside Trust’s red squirrel project officer, said: ”Red squirrels have a strong population in and around Charlottetown. Unfortunately the woodland in this area is intersected by many fast roads and it is one of the worst roadkill hotspots in Fife.
”I receive many queries about how individuals can help reduce red squirrel roadkill, so it is brilliant that Charlottetown residents have taken action.”
She urged the public to help by reporting sightings of red squirrel roadkill to the Scottish Wildlife Trust at scottishsquirrels.org.uk or via the Fife Nature Records Centre.
Ms Eastwood said: ”The action by Charlottetown residents to protect the animals is a great example of measures communities across Fife can take to make a big difference in the conservation of local red squirrels.
”I hope this might lead to red triangle squirrel warning signs in Charlottetown and other red squirrel roadkill hotspots in Fife.”
Red squirrels are already in danger of being wiped out by the spread of the poxvirus, which has reached the central belt for the first time. Carried by American grey squirrels, the native reds are unable to fight it.
As a result, the future of Scotland’s red squirrels has been described as critical and it is feared their fate may be similar to those south of the border where they are largely extinct.
People have been encouraged to get involved in the fight against the virus by reporting findings of dead red squirrels or voluneering or donating to the Fife Red Squirrel Project, which is coordinated by the coast and countryside trust and supported by the Fife Environment Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund.