TWO people were left seriously injured in a crash on a major East Lancashire road.

Police said a Volvo V60 travelling south west on the A59 at Sawley lost control and collided with a Mitsubishi Colt travelling in the opposite direction on Saturday morning.

An 80-year old-woman from Burnley, who was in the Mitsubishi suffered internal injuries and was in a serious condition at the Royal Preston Hospital over the weekend.

The driver of the Volvo, a 46-year old-man from the Ribble Valley, suffered serious injuries and was being treated at the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

A seven-year-old girl travelling in the Volvo suffered minor injuries and was discharged from hospital on Saturday.

Last week on Monday, December 3, police had to close off a section of the A59 between Whalley Road and Woone Lane following another crash which resulted in two elderly people being airlifted to hospital.

The man and a woman were taken to the Royal Preston Hospital following a head on crash in a critical condition. 

Speaking about the seriousness of both crashes, leader of the Ribble Valley Borough Council, Cllr Ken Hind, said immediate action needs to be taken to prevent further incidents.

He said: “The number of accidents occurring and the severity of injuries received demands that immediate actions needs to be taken to address this problem stretch of road.

“There are some issues along the A59 that the Department of Transport and Lancashire County Council need to address, such as overtaking on the double white lines and the speed of which some drivers go.”

Police are now appealing for witnesses following the Saturday’s crash which happened at 10.10am and saw the road closed for more than five hours.

Sgt Steve Hardman said: “This was a serious collision which has left two people with significant injuries and I would appeal for anyone with information, anyone who may have dashcam footage or any witnesses who have not already been spoken with to contact us.”

Fire crews were also called to the scene and a spokesman said: “Firefighters released one person a vehicle and they were later taken to hospital by air ambulance.

The drone was also called to the scene to help the police investigate the incident.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting log number 0550 of December 8.