The mother of a 17-year-old girl knocked down by a hit-and-run driver in Harpenden has made an impassioned appeal for witnesses as her daughter continues to recover at home.

Julia, who did not wish to disclose her surname, has described the heart-stopping moment she received a phone call around 5pm on Saturday to say her daughter had been run over on a zebra crossing on Sun Lane.

The teenager was taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital where she was treated for ligament and muscle damage to her shoulder and given extensive X-rays to check she had not broken anything.

The mum-of-three said: “My daughter is a sensible kid. She was three-quarters of the way across [the zebra crossing] and in the driver’s view. How could they not see her?”

She continued: “What sort of person, knowing they have knocked somebody, looks in their rear mirror, sees that person lying in the road who could be dead and drives off? How could you live with yourself? They must have sleepless nights.”

Julia has thanked witnesses who stayed with her daughter, who also suffered a knock to her head and bruising to her jaw, at the scene but has asked for anyone else who saw the incident to come forward.

She added: “I would like the driver brought to justice. I would like them traced and punished for their actions because they cannot get away with this. They could have done it before and could do it again.”

The 49-year-old also warned others to take extra care when using the crossing and has called for it to be replaced with a set of traffic lights.

A spokesman for Herts Police said: “Following the collision officers made enquiries at an address in Harpenden and the matter has been passed to our process and collisions department for further investigation.”

Anyone who has any further information should call police on the non-emergency 101 number.