POLICE have issued a witness appeal after a taxi driver and his female passenger were left seriously injured in a crash on Sunday morning.

At 2.15am the taxi driver was in a Volkswagen Touran on the A671 Whalley Road, Read, when it was involved in a collission with an Infiniti EX30 which was travelling in the opposite direction.

The taxi driver, who is in his 40s and had to be cut free from his vehicle by firefighters, suffered a fractured hip and chest injuries. 

He remains in a serious but stable condition at Royal Preston Hospital.

His passenger, who is in her 20s, sustained two broken ankles, a sprained wrist and a cut to her neck.

her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

The driver of the Infiniti was not injured.

Whalley Road was closed for four hours for investigators to examine the scene. It has since reopened.

Sgt Phil Baxendale, from the road policing unit, said: "Our thoughts are with the taxi driver and his passenger who suffered serious injuries in this collision.

"We are now trying to establish the circumstances and would ask anyone with information or dashcam footage to come forward."

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting log 186 of August 5.