A MOTHER was seriously ill in hospital last night after she and her two children were involved in an accident with a bus.

The 32-year-old woman is believed to have been crossing Holmeside, in Sunderland city centre yesterday with her son and daughter, when the collision took place.

A Stagecoach single-decker bus was heading up Holmeside towards the Park Lane interchange at the time of the accident, outside the Savannah pub, shortly after 2pm.

All three casualties were treated by paramedics before being taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital.

The woman suffered serious head injuries, possibly a fractured skull, while her eight-year-old daughter was being treated for a broken collarbone.

Her 13-year-old brother was said to have escaped injury, but was treated for shock.

Police closed the road for two hours after the accident.

The bus driver was interviewed at the scene and later returned to Stagecoach's Wheatsheaf depot, where he helped the company and the Vehicle Inspectorate with inquiries into the accident.

Inspectors were also examining the bus last night.

Stagecoach in Sunderland divisional traffic manager Robin Knight said the driver was a highly experienced local man, who was extremely shocked by the incident.

None of the passengers on the bus suffered injuries.

Mr Knight said: "We are still piecing together what happened."