A pensioner remains in hospital today with life-threatening injuries after being involved in a serious crash.

A woman in her seventies was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle after the Volkswagen Golf she was travelling in was involved in a collision with a white van.

It happened on the A6 near Plumpton, north of Penrith, on Wednesday shortly after 12.30pm.

The driver of the Golf was a 39-year-old woman from Carlisle was treated for minor injuries.

Her passenger, the elderly woman, suffered serious injuries to her chest, hip and ankle.

A police spokesman told The Cumberland News : "She remains in a critical condition with life-threatening injuries."

The driver of the van, a 29-year-old man from Gateshead, was uninjured.

The road was closed for several hours with the main diversion route sending traffic via the M6, causing subsequent delays.

The cause of the collision is now being investigated.

Witnesses are asked to call PC 2219 Young, of the Mobile Support Group at Carlisle, on 101.