THE mother of a teenage girl injured in a hit-and-run accident has criticised police for failing to reach the car involved before it was burned out.

Rebecca Wheatley, and Hayley McLouglin, both 15, were being driven home from their dancing lesson by Hayley's mother and father when they were hit by a dark blue Volvo at the junction of Middlesbrough's Linthorpe Road and Barnabus Road.

Following the crash, at 8.55pm on Tuesday, the driver of the Volvo sped off, leaving Hayley and her family to be cut out of their car by firemen.

Carolyn McLoughlin, 45, suffered serious pelvic injuries, while Rebecca and Hayley escaped with cuts and bruises.

As reported in yesterday's Northern Echo, police are appealing for information on the Volvo's whereabouts.

But, according to Susan Wheatley, they failed to act in time to stop it from being destroyed.

"My brother-in-law works for the council and his deputy got a message saying that the car had been found, so he got in touch with the police," she said.

"He went to flag down a police car and when he came back, it was on fire.

"It was more than an hour before the police finally came."

Mrs Wheatley, 40, of Lewis Road, Middlesbrough, said: "We were so upset that after we had found the car, all the evidence was destroyed."

A police spokesman said: "Officers attended the scene approximately 20 minutes after receiving the call, but in the meantime, two youths were seen running away from the car, which had unfortunately been set alight.

"We consider 20 minutes a good response time."