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.