A 71-year-old woman has died following a car crash in Chelmsford town centre.

The red Rover 214 she was travelling in with two other women and a one-year-old baby was involved in a collision with a grey Ford Orion in Rainsford Road, Chelmsford, at 4.20pm on Saturday.

The Orion was travelling towards Chelmsford town centre while the Rover was coming from the opposite direction when the accident happened near the junction of Rainsford Road with Tower Road.

The 54-year-old male driver of the Orion and his 54-year-old wife, both from Chelmsford, were taken to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, with facial cuts and bruises.

Both have been kept in hospital and a police spokesperson said the man has serious facial injuries but not life-threatening.

The 37-year-old driver of the Rover from Mayland, her 21-year-old front seat passenger, from Chelmsford, and the baby who was in the back-seat were not thought to be seriously injured but were taken to Broomfield Hospital.

Both the baby and the passenger were released but the driver has been kept in hospital with a broken collar bone. Her injuries are not life-threatening.

The 71-year-old woman, who was also travelling in the back-seat with the baby, died in hospital as a result of her injuries.

Any witnesses to the accident should contact Chelmsford Road Policing Unit on 01245 452918.

Published Monday December 17, 2001