A WOMAN was seriously ill in hospital last night after a motorway pile-up on the A1(M) which caused traffic chaos.

The three-vehicle crash, near Sedgefield, County Durham, involved a prison van.

The northbound carriageway was closed for about four hours and a diversion via Rushyford put in place, causing tailbacks several miles long.

Last night, crash investigators appealed for the driver of a cattle truck which was involved in the accident, but did not stop, to get in touch.

The crash happened at about 8.10am. A blue seven-and-a-half ton cattle truck travelling south moved into the outside lane, just as the prison van was overtaking it.

The van was transporting prisoner Michael Graham, 33, from Durham Prison to face charges of assault and criminal damage at Penrith Magistrates' Court.

The two vehicles collided, sending the prison van into the central crash barrier and into the outside lane of the northbound carriageway.

When it was straddling the lane it collided first with a Rover 418, a privately owned taxi, then a Ford Ka driven by a 38-year-old woman from Darlington.

The cattle truck did not stop and continued travelling south.

The woman driver of the car had to be cut from her vehicle by firefighters and taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital.

She suffered a fractured left leg, broken left heel and broken ribs. Last night she was said to be comfortable.

Those in the prison van, including the prisoner, were not seriously hurt. But the driver's 58-year-old colleague has been kept in overnight at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

The taxi was carrying two teenage boys, aged 15 and 13-years-old. Neither they nor the 41-year-old driver from Washington were injured.

Police accident investigators are appealing for witnesses, especially anyone with any details on the blue cattle truck. Anyone with information is asked to ring the accident unit on 0191-386 4929