A motorist was in police custody last night following a car crash which killed two schoolgirl sisters, aged 12 and 15, and their 44-year-old father.

The three victims were among five people in a Land Rover Freelander when it collided with a black Ford Focus on the A264 near Crawley, West Sussex, at about 6.30pm on Saturday.

Sussex Police said the driver of the Ford, a man in his 30s, was taken into police custody after being treated in hospital for minor injuries.

Two other passengers in the Land Rover were taken to hospital suffering from minor injuries but were later discharged.

The three people who died were from the Chichester area.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash.

In particular they would like to speak to anyone who may have seen a black Ford Focus "possibly overtaking vehicles" on the opposite carriageway of the A264 shortly before the crash.

A spokesman for Sussex Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: "It was an extremely nasty road traffic collision.

"From what I understand, attempts were made to save the lives of the three people who were killed but they were very badly injured and tragically died on the scene."

In a separate accident, in Hampshire last night, two young boys died after the Audi A3 car in which they were passengers overturned.

The car was being driven by a man believed to be the father of the boys, aged nine and 11.

The accident happened on the A339 at Ramsdell at just before 6pm.

The two boys were declared dead at the scene while the father was taken to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Basingstoke.

A police spokeswoman said no other vehicles were thought to have been involved.