A BABY and young woman were seriously hurt when the car they were travelling in left the road and hit a stone wall on Christmas night.

The six-month old child sustained head injuries and a 20-year-old woman had to be cut from the car when it left the A66, in County Durham, and collided with a stone wall or gatepost.

The baby was initially taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital but transferred to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary because of the severity of their injuries.

Inspector Chris Headley this morning described the child’s condition as "no longer critical but still serious".

The woman, who was sat in the front seat of the car, had to be released from the vehicle by fire and rescue personnel using specialist cutting equipment.

Appliances from Barnard Castle and Bishop Auckland attended the scene, along with the special rescue crew also from Bishop Auckland.

The passenger was taken to hospital, in Darlington, for treatment to internal injuries.

Three other occupants of the vehicle, understood to be a 60-year-old man, a 42-year-old woman and a 33 year-old man, all from the same family from the Middlesbrough area, escaped relatively unhurt.

Police said the accident occurred at about 7.10pm as the red Suzuki Alto travelled eastbound on the A66, at the Greta Bridge slip road, near Barnard Castle.

No other vehicle appears to have been involved.

Accident investigators are appealing for witnesses to contact Durham police on 101 and quote the incident number 201-25/12/2013.