A 61-year-old woman was killed when her BMW crashed into a van on a bend today.

The woman, who has not been named but is believed to be from the Hoghton area, was driving along the A675 Blackburn Old Road near Hoghton Tower when her car collided with a van coming in the other direction.

Paramedics and police were called to the scene but the woman driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

A police spokesman said: "The BMW appears to have gone wide around the bend and crashed with a wagon coming in the opposite direction.

"The female driver of the car was killed instantly."

The road was closed for about two hours while accident investigators examined the scene. The driver of the van was unhurt. Police said the woman had been identified but her name would not be released until her relatives had been contacted.