A woman who gave birth after being involved in a road accident in which her mother died was today seriously ill in hospital, police said.

30-year-old Lesley Droy gave birth to a baby boy after the three-car crash, which happened yesterday afternoon in Ayrshire.

Her mother, Kathleen Gillespie, 65, of Richmond, North Yorkshire, was in Scotland staying with her as she neared the end of her pregnancy.

Mrs Gillespie died when the Peugeot 206 in which the two women were travelling was in a collision with another vehicle.

Lesley was injured in the accident but gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Scott, by Caesarean section at Crosshouse Hospital near Kilmarnock.

Her condition was today described as serious but stable, while her newborn child was understood to be well after being transferred to Ayrshire Central Hospital.

Mrs Droy was at the wheel of the Peugeot when it was in a head-on collision with a Nissan Sunny car on the A71 Kilmarnock to Irvine Road yesterday afternoon.

The driver of the Nissan Sunny, 33-year-old Alexander Paterson of Irvine, also died.

Strathclyde Police said the Nissan Sunny appeared to have gone out of control and crossed the central reservation.

A 41-year-old woman received hospital treatment for minor injuries after the Nissan Sunny was also in collision with her Nissan Micra car. Her four-year-old son was unhurt.

A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal and police are appealing for witnesses to the accident to contact them.