A WOMAN was recovering in hospital last night after being airlifted from the scene of a three-car pile-up.

Emergency crews freed Paula Durham from the wreckage of the Vauxhall Corsa she was travelling in after it crashed head-on with a Ford Mondeo containing three pensioners, near an industrial estate in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance had to perform a difficult landing before taking Miss Durham, of Newton Lane, Darlington, to Middlesbrough General Hospital, where she was treated for serious leg and spine injuries. Her condition was not thought to be life-threatening.

The crash caused chaos for motorists on the A167, between Darlington and Northallerton, on Thursday night.

Drivers were already facing hold-ups because of roadworks when the accident happened about a mile from the Micronized Food Products factory.

Rescuers used hydraulic cutting equipment to free three elderly men from the Mondeo and they were taken to the Friarage Hospital.

Police named them yesterday as Kenneth Hurd, 74, Matthew Brown, 74, and Fred Christon, 76, all of Thornton-le-Beans, near Northallerton. All three suffered chest and whiplash injuries.

A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "It seems the Mondeo was travelling towards Northallerton when it crossed into the path of the Corsa. The Corsa was then pushed off the carriageway. A Chrysler Neon then went into the front of the Mondeo."

The two passengers in the Corsa were named as mother and daughter Jean and Donna Dean, of Darlington.

Mrs Dean, 57, suffered chest and whiplash injuries, while Miss Dean, 21, received slight head injuries.

Chrysler driver Alexander Davison, 25, of Northallerton, escaped unharmed and had got out of the vehicle by the time emergency services arrived.

Anyone who witnessed the crash should contact police on (01609) 783131.