TWO young people involved in a head-on smash in a stolen car were today still seriously ill in hospital.

The driver of the car suffered such bad facial injuries that he was unrecognisable and police struggled for two days to identify him.

The accident happened at 9.25am on Saturday when the stolen white Toyota Corolla was in collision with a grey Daewoo at the junction of Bolton Road and Aqueduct Road, Blackburn.

Earlier, the Toyota had been spotted speeding and undertaking other vehicles along Bolton Road. A police officer turned his car round and tried to follow them.

But the crash happened shortly afterwards and the two men and a woman in the Toyota were thrown through the windscreen.

They were taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary where police said the driver and front seat passenger were being treated for serious head and chest injuries. It is expected the driver of the Toyota will have to undergo plastic surgery on facial injuries later this week.

The woman, who was a back seat passenger, was not as badly injured and was expected to be released from hospital today.

Police said the driver of the Daewoo, Mr David Wright, of Snape Street, Darwen, was saved from serious injury by his car's airbag. He and his dog, which was with him in the car, both walked free from the wrecked car, but Mr Wright was later detained in Blackburn Royal Infirmary with a broken wrist. The impact of the crash also pushed the Daewoo car back into a Warburton's bread van, but the vehicle was only slightly damaged and the driver was unhurt.

The Toyota is believed to have been stolen from the Bolton area sometime overnight on Friday and was reported missing by its owner at 10.15am on Saturday.

Police said the three people who were in the Toyota are also from the Bolton area, but would not release their names.

Inspector Steve Haworth said: "It seems that speed was a factor in this incident, as well as a lack of respect for the wet driving conditions at the time.

"We are investigating whether alcohol was also a factor, but criminal proceedings will be brought in relation to this incident."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.