More than 15 animals have been hit on the road, and on January 9, a car ran over Nyssa and did not stop.

Lysa Cluer ran out to see what had happened and was left to explain the situation to her children Ashlee, 15, Michael, 5 and Niamh, 3.

“A lot of people have lost cats and dogs on this street and one day it’s going to be another child,” she said.

Nyssa was a 15-month-old RSPCA rescue and Michael said he was upset that she had died.

“I’m sad because she got runned over, I liked patting her and cuddling her, and her and Charlie laid down with each other and wrestled with each other,” he said.

Charlie, their cat, was hit by a car last year and the driver did not stop.

She said her message to drivers who had hit an animal was to stop.

“Stop. If the animal is deceased, move it to the side of the road, if it’s not deceased and suffering, take it to the vet,” she said.

“I’m sad Nyssa’s died and I’m sad for the

circumstances, but the

driver should have stopped, and that’s what makes me so sad,” she said.

Look out for tomorrow’s Maitland Mercury for a story about drivers deliberately hitting animals in Woodberry.