Richard Parr Police have today renewed their appeal for witnesses to a car crash in which one woman died and three others in the same vehicle were injured, one of them critically.

Richard Parr

Police have today renewed their appeal for witnesses to a car crash in which one woman died and three others in the same vehicle were injured, one of them critically.

The burgundy Renault Megane, in which the women were travelling, was in collision with a JCB tractor carrying a shovel attachment, at about 5.40am on Monday .

The four women, all Latvian nationals, were travelling on the A148 King's Lynn to Fakenham road to start an early shift at Fakenham Laundry Services when the crash happened, near Tattersett, at the junction with the B1454.

The 49-year-old JCB driver, who escaped injury, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but was released on police bail without charge on Tuesday pending further inquiries.

The woman who died was a passenger in the Renault Megane and died at the scene. Police have not yet named the dead woman, aged in her 50s, because next-of-kin have yet to be informed and full identification carried out.

Two other women passengers were seriously injured.

The first, aged 40, was taken to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge with serious head injuries. She was today described as being in a “critical” but stable condition.

The second, aged 27, was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, where she remains in a “serious but stable condition”.

The third passenger, aged 39, suffered less serious injuries and has now been discharged from hospital.

The laundry where the women worked is in the town's Holt Road and is owned by the Sunlight Service Group.

The firm's human resources director Martin Roberts said the tragedy had come as a huge blow to the staff.

“These ladies were colleagues and friends who have all worked here for the past 12 months or more, so this has come as a huge, huge shock to their colleagues. The company was giving as much support to the women's families as possible,” he said.

Police would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision, or the manner of driving, by either vehicle, before the accident. The Megane had been travelling from King's Lynn area towards Fakenham. The JCB was being driven from the Tatterford direction.

Contact Steve Matthews at Norfolk police serious collision investigation team on 0845 456 4567.