THREE people from Bolton have been killed in a road accident and a fourth is critically ill.

Police closed the road from Darwen Cemetery in Bolton Road following the crash outside the Ocean Palace restaurant in Darwen.

The red Peugeot hatchback collided with a lamppost while travelling towards Blackburn.

Police received the emergency call at 3.30pm on Saturday.

Helen Openshaw, aged 38, from New Bury,was pronounced dead at the scene. Roy O'Brien, aged 33 from Ainsworth, and Lee Amos aged 39, from Farnworth died shortly afterwards in the Royal Blackburn hospital.

A fourth person, a woman, aged 25, from Horwich, is critically ill and is undergoing surgery.

A pregnant woman in another car was checked over by ambulance staff after suffering shock. She was not taken to hospital.

Firefighters freed the passengers from the car.

Road closures were in place for more than four hours.

Inspector Damian Kitchen, from the Force Road Policing Unit, said: "This is an extremely tragic incident which will impact on a number of families, and we will be doing everything possible to support them at this time."

A spokesman for the North West Ambulance Service said: “The NWAS got the call at 3.32pm. Four ambulances were sent but only three were used. When paramedics arrived there was one fatality, a female. A vehicle was turned over on its roof. The Royal Blackburn Hospital received three patients on standby, which is when there are a number of casualties or serious injuries. If somebody is very seriously injured the hospital receive the patients from the door.

“The two males have since deceased. The second female is still very poorly.”

Ocean Palace manager Graham Tsang said: “I wasn’t at the restaurant until 20 minutes after it happened. The police let us through the closures but customers were not allowed through. We kept the restaurant shut until 8pm. It was not nice. It was right outside the restaurant.”

Witnesses should contact Lancashire Police on 0845 125 3545.