A TWO-year-old girl mown down by a car when it mounted a high street pavement has died of her injuries.

Helen Dass and partner Kevin Schwec were said to be devastated last night over the death of daughter Demi, six days after the accident.

Demi was taken to the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, with serious head injuries, following the incident in Loftus High Street, last Saturday.

She had been walking along the path with teenage friends when a Honda Civic mounted the pavement near to the junction of the High Street with Chapel Row, and struck her.

Last night, residents demanded police take action over the antics of so-called boy racers.

They claimed cars are regularly seen racing two abreast down the narrow High Street of Loftus, east Cleveland.

A 30-year-old woman with twins of a similar age to Demi said: "It is a living nightmare. They go up and down the estate road at 80mph, but nothing is done."

Father-of-two Mike Allison, 38, one of a number of residents who left floral tributes at the accident scene, said: "The whole of the town is outraged. They shut the police station in the town centre and you only see a policeman when it's Loftus' turn. It could have been my child."

A neighbour of Demi's grandmother said: "Everyone in Loftus is outraged to think something like this could happen. And there are still cars going round the town centre fast on a night. People are really disillusioned with the police."

A spokesman for Cleveland Police said last night: "We take allegations of anti-social behaviour very seriously because the actions of a few can disrupt whole communities.

"We have had concerns over policing in east Cleveland and, as such, the Loftus community policing team has doubled since March last year, and, in addition, response officers are stationed in the town. Also, police community support officers regularly work there.

"There is also a presence in east Cleveland 24 hours a day. Should people have concerns about disruptive behaviour, they should contact the police and action will be taken."

* A 19-year-old Loftus youth is being questioned by police about the accident involving Demi.