A teenage girl was in hospital today with serious head injuries after she and a friend were involved in an accident with a minicab in Bradford city centre.

The accident occurred on a pedestrian crossing outside the Hilton Hotel,in Hall Ings at 1.40pm yesterday.

The air ambulance was called in and made its first ever city centre landing - expertly picking its way through the tall buildings to touch down in Centenary Square.

It remained on standby but was not needed. Police sealed off the main Hall Ings junction and paramedics were able to make their way through the congestion to take the girls, both aged 17, to Bradford Royal Infirmary by road.

One girl, who lives in Batley, was later transferred to Leeds General Infirmary, where her condition is described as "poorly but stable". Her friend, believed to be from Dewsbury, was later released after treatment at BRI.

Police closed off the road while they carried out their investigations into the accident.

Hussain Khan, the owner of Preston Private Hire, whose car was involved, said the vehicle had been inspected by the police and returned to the company.

"The driver was coming from Leeds Road towards Jacob's Well and stopped at the lights at red. He set off at the green light and between those lights and the other traffic lights there is not much distance so he can't have been going faster than 10 or 15mph. We know one of the girls is critically ill and we hope she will come through this. Our sympathies really go out to her family. We know the other girl is OK."

He said the driver, Quasar Mahmood had been a driver for eight years and with Preston Private Hire for the last four. The car was tested by Bradford Council only last week.

Tally Panesar, who was driving a Nissan Terrano behind the minicab, said: "The two girls were hit by the taxi and came over it. I had to avoid hitting them."