Police are appealing for information following a serious road crash on the A701 near Penicuik which took place around 8.15am yesterday morning when a Vauxhall Astra that was being driven northbound left the road and struck a tree.

Emergency services attended and the 21-year-old driver was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where she is being treated for her injuries. Hospital staff describe her condition as critical but stable.

The road was closed to allow crash scene investigation to take place and enquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances.

Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick, of Edinburgh Road Policing, said: “I am appealing to anyone who were in the area around the time of the crash to contact us. In particular, if you have a dash cam, please check your footage as it could have captured footage which could assist us in our investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0547 of 11 December.

John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.