POLICE have released details of the five men injured in a serious road accident in Blackburn early yesterday.

Three were in a Rover Vitesse and the other two were in a Nissan Sunny, which collided on Whitebirk Drive at its junction with Whalley Old Road at 1.40am.

All five were taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary after the accident.

Yaz Blackburn, of Stonehill Drive, Blackburn, a passenger in the Rover, suffered extensive internal injuries in the crash and was taken to the high-dependency unit at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

The driver of the car, Harprit Singh, 21, of Dale Street, Accrington, suffered lacerations to his cheek and bruised ribs. The other passenger, Tony Cowpe, of Edgbaston in Birmingham, suffered fractured ribs.

The driver of the Nissan, Asif Baddique, of Dean Street, Burnley, suffered cuts to his ear, while passenger Umar Bhatti, of Bradford, had cuts to his face.

Both cars were badly damaged.

Sgt Keith Jackson, of the Accrington road safety unit, which is investigating the incident, said police believed the Rover was turning right into Whitebirk Drive when it was in collision with the Nissan.

Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident, which left the road closed for three hours.