Two pensioners are among four people who have been injured in a crash involving two cars.

The Jaguar and Volkswagen Golf collided head-on on the A73 near Newhouse in North Lanarkshire at about 9am yesterday, police said.

An 83-year-old woman and an 85-year-old man, who were passengers in the Jaguar, were taken to Wishaw General Hospital, where both are described as being in a critical condition.

The driver, a 54-year-old man, remains in a stable condition at the same hospital.

A 34-year-old man driving the other car is also in a stable condition at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Sergeant Craig McDonald, who is dealing with the investigation, said today: "This was a serious road crash which has left a number of people badly injured. The A73 was busy at this time and a number of cars stopped to help.

"We continue to progress our inquiry to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident and I would ask that anyone who witnessed the crash contact the road policing unit at Motherwell via the 101 number with any information they may have."