A six-year-old girl has died and her baby sister is critically ill after a crash involving a stolen car.

Rebecca Sawyer died and her 18-month-old sister Kirsty was injured when a stolen Vauxhall Astra smashed into their father's car, causing it to crash into a wall.

The girls, from Ashington, Northumberland, were sitting in the back while their father father Steven, 33, was driving.

Mr Sawyer was also injured.

Head injuries

The collision occurred at 2245 GMT on Tuesday.

Shop owner David Singh rushed to the scene after Mr Sawyer's car crashed into a wall at the front of his store.

He said Kirsty was lying motionless on the pavement.

Inspector Paul Gilroy from Northumbria Police said Kirsty was taken Newcastle General hospital with serious head injuries.

"The Astra had been stolen from the Durham area 10 days earlier and was bearing false number plates," he said.

Detectives are interviewing two people in connection with the incident.