A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl was mowed down by a hit-and-run motorcyclist as she tried to cross the road.

And her distraught mother is hoping that the biker responsible will have a crisis of conscience and give himself up - or that someone else will know who he is.

Chelsea Bellis suffered a broken leg when a powerful sports bike ploughed into her near Skipton Castle on Sunday.

The impact of the machine left her lying helpless in the road, but the motorcyclist sped away from the scene without stopping.

Now, her mother Diane is hoping that publicising her daughter's plight will prick the rider's conscience and make him come forward.

The Barnoldswick family were enjoying a day out in Skipton on Sunday afternoon when the incident took place. They were attempting to cross the Bailey, which runs down the south side of Skipton Castle, at around 4pm when the bike appeared from the direction of the High Street.

Mrs Bellis explained: "We were getting ready to cross, the road became clear and we set off into the road. Then he came flying round the bend, hit her and turned to see her rolling around on the floor, but just sped off.

"He knew he'd hit her. He looked back and saw her there in the road. He couldn't not have known."

Mrs Bellis's partner carried Chelsea to the pavement, where she was helped by passers-by, including an off-duty nurse.

She was then taken to Airedale Hospital and received treatment for her leg, which was broken just below the kneecap.

She also had extensive bruises and grazing down one side of her body. The youngster may need an operation to re-set the bone and will have her leg in plaster for the rest of the summer holidays.

Now, Mrs Bellis is so keen to see the biker prosecuted that she offered to trawl through Skipton's CCTV footage herself in the hope of finding the number plate on the motorcycle.

However, a police officer told her that the cameras were pointing in the wrong direction at the time.

A part-time HGV driver, Mrs Bellis has also visited local meeting places for bikers, such as Dick Turpin's Café on the A59, to raise awareness of the incident.

She said: "It happened that fast that all we can remember is a black bike with orange and possibly white bits and I think the rider was wearing leathers in the same colours. But I couldn't get the registration or anything - it was just a blur.

"I'd say he was only doing 30 to 35 miles an hour, but on that bend it's way too fast," she added.

"And because he didn't stop, I'm thinking he's been drinking or he's got no insurance."

Mrs Bellis said the bike was likely to have been damaged by the impact of the collision.

"There was an almighty crack on impact. He might have stopped and someone might have seen him checking his bike," she said.

"I want him caught. I want him to see what he's done. He probably won't even know if she's dead or alive."

Recovering at her Avon Drive home, Chelsea said: "My mum had just let go of my hand and let me cross the road. I heard something coming, but then I got hit before I could move out of the way."

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police urged anyone with information to call 0845 6060247 and leave a message for investigating officer PC Mark Williams. She added that the police were particularly keen to hear from any businesses which may have recently repaired crash damage on a motorcycle matching the description.