A SEVEN-year-old girl was left with serious head injuries after a crash on the A1 at the weekend.

North Yorkshire Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision between two cars at 10.37pm on Saturday, January 11 on the northbound carriageway, near Barton village.

A black Vauxhall Tigra, driven by a woman in her 20s from the Sunderland area, hit the central barrier before coming to rest in the carriageway.

It was then hit by a black Peugeot 407 travelling in the same direction.

The driver of the Tigra sustained serious injuries and was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough where she remains in a serious condition.

The seven-year-old girl, travelling in the Peugeot, sustained serious head injuries and was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough where she remains in a critical condition.

The driver and front seat passenger of the Peugeot, a man and a woman in their 40s, sustained minor injuries and two other children were uninjured. All occupants of the Peugeot are from Watford.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw either vehicles travelling northbound on the A1 prior to the collision and to anyone who witnessed the actual collision to contact them.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC Neil Cholmondeley or email neil.cholmondeley@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

The road was closed to allow officers to examine the scene of the collision and was reopened at 6.45am the following morning.