Man in his 20s is arrested after woman in her 80s is killed in crash that closed motorway on Christmas Day

A man has been arrested after a horror Christmas Day motorway crash killed a woman in her 80s.

The incident occured just after 8.30pm on the A1(M) near Darlington, Durham.

The woman in her 80s had been a passenger in a white Ford Fiesta when it collided with a black Volkswagen Tiguan.

North Yorkshire Police said the woman had suffered serious injuries and died at the scene.

Also injured in the crash was the driver of the Ford Fiesta, who was a man in his 80s.

He was taken to a nearby hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition. 

The collision occured on the northbound carriageway of the A1 (M) between Junction 57 (A66(M) junction) and Junction 58 Merrybent (stock image)

The driver of a black Volkswagen Tiguan has been arrested over the incident which saw a woman in her 80s die (stock image)

The driver of the Volkswagen, a man in his 20s from the Durham area, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released under investigation as police carry out further inquiries. 

North Yorkshire Police continue to appeal for witnesses and dashcam footage of the crash, which happened on the northbound carriageway between Junction 57 (A66(M) junction) and Junction 58 (Merrybent).

Officers also thanked the multiple members of the public who assisted those injured on the scene. 

The motorway was closed until around 8am on Thursday for collision investigators and National Highways to assess the road surface.

It has since reopened again in both directions but with a lane closure currently still in place, police said.