Girl, seven, seriously injured in A1 smash

The collision, on the northbound carriageway, left a woman in her 20s with serious injuries and two others with minor injuries.

It happened approximately half a mile north of Barton village, near the border with County Durham, just after 10.35pm on Saturday and involved a black Vauxhall Tigra and a black Peugeot 407.

The Tigra hit the central barrier before coming to rest in the carriageway and it was then hit by the Peugeot which was travelling in the same direction.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said: “The driver of the Vauxhall Tigra, a woman in her 20s from the Sunderland area, sustained serious injuries and was taken to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough where she remains in a serious condition.

“A seven-year-old girl travelling in the Peugeot sustained serious head injuries and was taken to James Cook Hospital where she remains in a critical condition.”

A man and a woman in the Peugeot received minor injuries.

Witnesses should call police on 101.