A man has been arrested after a woman in her 80s was killed in a Christmas Day motorway crash.

A white Ford Fiesta and a black Volkswagen Tiguan collided on the A1(M) near Darlington just after 8.30pm, North Yorkshire Police said.

The passenger of the Ford Fiesta, a woman in her 80s from the Durham area, suffered serious injuries and died at the scene.

The car’s driver, a man in his 80s from the Durham area, was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

The driver of the Volkswagen, a man in his 20s from the Durham area, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

He has now been released under investigation.

The motorway was closed until around 8am on Boxing Day for collision investigators and National Highways to assess the road surface.

It is now open in both directions but with a lane closure still in place as of 9.30am.

Police have appealed for witnesses and dashcam footage of the crash, which happened on the northbound carriageway between Junction 57 (A66(M) junction) and Junction 58 (Merrybent).

The force also thanked members of the public who assisted at the scene.

Two women have died following reports of a stabbing in Milton Keynes on Christmas Day, police have said.

A dog injured in the incident in Bletchley also died after being taken to the vets.

A man and a teenage boy suffered serious injuries.

A 49-year-old man from Milton Keynes has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and remains in custody.

Officers were called to a block of apartments in Santa Cruz Avenue just after 6.30pm on Christmas Day following reports of a stabbing.

The two women, aged 38 and 24, died at the scene, Thames Valley Police said. Their next of kin have been informed.

The injured man and teenage boy were taken to hospital and are both in a stable condition.

Police said the parties are known to each other.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Brangwin said: “Firstly I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the families of the women who have tragically died in this shocking incident.

“We have launched a double murder investigation, which may be concerning to the wider public; however, we have made an arrest and are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident and the parties are known to each other.”

A man has been charged with murdering a woman whose body was found nine days after she went missing.

Police said extensive searches and appeals were launched to find Mariann Borocz after she vanished on 14 December.

Her body was discovered at a property in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on Christmas Eve.

Christopher Barlow, 61, from Bolton, has been charged with her murder and has been remanded in custody ahead of an appearance before magistrates on Thursday.

Greater Manchester Police said Ms Borocz’s family are being supported by specialist officers.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Platten thanked those who spoke to officers and shared the missing person appeals.

“On behalf of the entire investigation team, our condolences remain with Mariann’s family as they try to come to terms with her death,” he said.

“Our investigation is moving at pace, and we are continuing to work hard to build a full timeline of events leading up to Mariann’s death.

“As part of our investigation, we are once again appealing for additional information from the local community.”