A heartbroken family are frustrated over the lack of meaningful safety improvements to a road where a teenage girl tragically lost her life.

Thirteen-year-old Mya Lawrence died a year ago today on Whitfield Hill in Dover as she made her way home from a trip to McDonald's with friends.

The teenager had been forced to choose between crossing the road or using a dimly-lit underpass.

Ever since the devastating accident, the family of the Dover Christ Church Academy pupil have made repeated calls for improvements at the site, such as a footbridge, clearer speed limit signs and better lighting.

But none of these have happened.

Overgrown vegetation was cut back to give drivers better visibility but it has since regrown.

Mya's mum Dawn Hopkins has been campaigning for changes since losing her beloved daughter.

She said: "There is still no safe crossing for Whitfield Hill.

"They've cut the trees in the middle of the roundabout but they've grown back, so it's back to square one.

"After a year it's as if nothing's happened.

"I don't want what happened to us to happen to someone else."

In a bid to move their campaign forward, Mya's grandmother, Louise Hopkins, has written a letter to council officials.

In it, she says she feels the Old Park estate, where the family live and where Mya was returning home to that day, has been "forgotten".

The letter explains: "This is a forgotten housing estate with nothing being done for Mya’s friends, who miss her dearly.

"Surely we can help these kids before someone else gets killed because they are going to McDonald's from the estate.

"Someone will get killed or badly injured, whether by car or by foot.

"You will appreciate that all of Mya’s family and friends are still grieving and heartbroken.

"A year does not make any difference to anyone.

"Surely it is time for action to help these children who loved and miss Mya as we do.

"This tragic accident cannot be in vain."

The letter was to Dover District Council following a family meeting with the authority in January this year.

This was to make initial contact with officials and convey their points to the highways authorities that would be responsible for making improvements.

An inquest in June heard Mya was crossing the A256 Whitfield Hill at about 7.40pm on Friday, October 15, when she was struck by a car.

The driver could not stop in time.

She and her friends had decided to take a short cut by crossing Whitfield Hill to a hole in a fence that led straight to their houses.

It was heard Mya would have been harder to see by the driver as it was a dark evening and she had been wearing dark clothes.

Also, not all the street lights were working.

A police investigation found that the driver had no drink or drugs in his system, had not been using his mobile phone and was within the 50mph speed limit.

The car had no mechanical defects and the weather also did not contribute to the accident.

A coroner made a conclusion that the tragedy had been a road traffic collision.

Mya's mum launched a petition in January for better pedestrian crossing provision at Whitfield Hill, such as a footbridge, which the grieving family want called Mya's Way.

It has attracted more than 1,100 signatures.

New lighting has been put in place in a underpass near the busy junction, between Archers Court Road and Honeywood Road.

But Mya's family say locals are not keen to use it because it floods in heavy rain and is slippery in cold weather.

A spokesman for Dover District Council said: "We are aware of the family’s ongoing concerns regarding Whitfield Hill/A2, and we do understand the issues they raise.

"We did meet with the family at the beginning of the year, and their concerns were passed on to Kent County Council as the highway authority."

A spokesman for Kent County Council said: “While we understand from investigations that no highway factors were responsible for this crash, we have reviewed the site to ensure appropriate safety is maintained.

“We have also contacted local schools to offer advice about educating children on road safety.

“Our thoughts continue to be with the family at what must be a difficult time.”