Two 12-year-old girls have been taken to hospital after an unoccupied police van rolled into and injured them.
The unmanned vehicle is understood to have collided with three bollards along the pavement.
One girl was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.
Cumbria Police has told GB News she remains in a stable condition.
The other girl suffered minor injuries but has since been discharged.
The silver van passed a shop where the children were outside.
The vehicle then rolled back down the hill before striking the two girls.
Damage to a property was also reported, with the van breaking a residential window before coming to a halt.
Two 12-year-old girls have been taken to hospital after an unoccupied police van rolled back
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The crash occurred on Senhouse Street, Maryport, just before 6pm on Saturday.
Officers were said to be responding to an unrelated incident at the time of the collision.
A spokesman for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) told the BBC: “We understand officers from the vehicle had been responding to a separate incident at the time of the collision.”
They confirmed that the circumstances behind the crash were being assessed.
The silver van passed a shop where the children were outside
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An investigation is yet to be launched.
The IOPC added that it had received a mandatory referral from the Cumbria Police Force.
The spokesman said: “An unoccupied police van rolled and collided with two children just before 18:00 BST in Senhouse Street, Maryport.
“We have examined CCTV and are currently assessing the circumstances surrounding the incident before making a decision on our next steps.”
The crash occurred on Senhouse Street, Maryport, just before 6pm on Saturday
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Police forces in England and Wales are legally required to refer certain serious incidents and allegations to the IOPC.
Forces must refer cases if there is an “indication” that direct or indirect police contact caused or contributed to injury of a member of the public.
GB News has approached Cumbria Police and the IOPC for further comment.