A WOMAN was critically ill in hospital last night after her car plunged 100ft from cliffs at a beauty spot.
A police spokesman said the car crashed through a barrier and crossed 400 yards of grassland before going over the cliff at Marsden Lea, near Marsden Rock, South Tyneside.
Police and firefighters, who were called at 7am yesterday, had to climb down the slippery cliff in strong winds to get to the car.
They spent more than an hour-and-a-half cutting the driver from the wreckage, with crews from Sunderland auxiliary lifeboat also involved in the rescue operation.
The unconscious victim, who was not being named last night, was airlifted to Newcastle General Hospital in a Sea King helicopter scrambled from RAF Bulmer.
The spokesman said: "The driver suffered serious injuries and is in a critical condition.
"We are still investigating the cause of the accident. The car must have rammed the barrier and gone straight over the edge of the cliff."
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