Livesey Street, near the junction with Penistone Road, in Hillsborough (photo: Google)

The motorist ploughed into the birds on Livesey Street in Hillsborough, near the junction with Penistone Road, killing at least six of the youngsters and seriously injuring their mother.

A stunned witness claims the driver, who failed to stop, either drove into them deliberately or was not concentrating sufficiently to notice them waddling across the road close to Owlerton Greyhound Stadium on Tuesday.

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"I was about three cars behind when I saw this car - I believe it was a white Audi, though someone else thought it was a Golf - drive straight into the mother duck who was crossing the road with her 10 or 11 ducklings," she said.

"I nearly cried when I saw what happened. I think they must have been heading towards the stream nearby when it happened.

Ms Cliff said she collected a box and, along with passersby, helped gather up the four surviving ducklings which a lady told her she would take to the vets.

She said the lady told her she would report what had happened to the RSPCA, but the charity said this week it had no record of the incident.

"It was quite busy at the time, with lots of people leaving work, and I think the driver must have seen an opportunity to pull out and gone for it," she added.

"It was horrible to witness what happened to this poor family. I believe the mother's leg was broken and she managed to fly off somewhere, probably to die.