A woman and child were rushed to a London hospital for emergency treatment after they were seriously injured in a car crash.

Two air ambulances were called to the incident at Ashford Designer Outlet shortly after 9.15am today, along with fire and ambulance crews.

The car had crashed into a brick wall near a children's play area.

The girl was freed by the time firefighters got there but crews struggled for over an hour to cut the woman out.

Both were taken to King's College Hospital.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: "We had to remove the roof, door and steering wheel to free her.

"It was a particularly difficult extrication."

Two fire engines, from the Ashford and Chilham stations, were called to the scene.

The driver of the blue car, aged in her 30s, suffered injuries to her abdomen, pelvis and lower limbs.

The child suffered serious injuries to her head, abdomen and pelvis.

Both victims were taken to Kings College Hospital in London. The child was flown there and the woman was taken by land ambulance with a doctor and paramedic.

The helicopters had come from their Kent and Surrey/Sussex bases and both landed in the designer outlet car parks.

The incident had happened in front of horrified shoppers in the busy outlet and police sealed off the area hundreds of yards from the accident spot.

Traffic was stopped from coming into the outlet and the centre's huge car parks were left eerily empty long after the air ambulances had left.

It has since reopened..

Ch Insp Geoff Wood said: "Police are conducting an investigation into the circumstances."