Girls, 12, hit by rolling unoccupied police van

An unoccupied police van rolled into and injured two 12-year-old girls, the police watchdog has said.

One of the children was taken to hospital by air ambulance with serious injuries following the crash involving a Cumbria Police van on Senhouse Street, Maryport at 17:58 BST on Saturday.

A spokesperson for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said: "We understand officers from the vehicle had been responding to a separate incident at the time of the collision."

The BBC has seen footage which appears to show the van rolling backwards down the street, hitting three bollards on the side of the pavement, before striking the children.

In the footage, the van passes the shop the girls were outside. About a minute later, it comes backwards down the hill at a slight angle.

The silver van then comes to a rest, breaking the window of the next property.

The IOPC said it was assessing the circumstances surrounding the crash before deciding whether it would investigate.

The girl in hospital was in a stable condition, the other child suffered minor injuries and had since been discharged, Cumbria Police said.

The IOPC said it had received a mandatory referral from the force.

"An unoccupied police van rolled and collided with two children just before 18:00 BST in Senhouse Street, Maryport," a spokesperson said.

"We have examined CCTV and are currently assessing the circumstances surrounding the incident before making a decision on our next steps."

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