A DRIVER is being hunted after a crash in which a woman passenger died.

The woman was trapped in the wreckage of a car which swerved to avoid a speeding vehicle which was on the wrong side of the road.

The driver of the speeding car failed to stop after the crash in Wigan Road, Deane, at 5.30am on Thursday.

The woman, who was in a white Ford Fiesta, was injured when it ploughed into two parked vehicles outside the Chinese takeaway Sou's.

She suffered serious chest injuries and was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital but died later.

The driver of the Fiesta suffered shock and a second passenger escaped with minor injuries but did not need hospital treatment.

After the Fiesta crashed, the driver of the car the Fiesta swerved to avoid is believed to have performed a hand brake turn and crashed into a Fiat Punto. That driver was not injured.

The car then sped off along Hulton Lane.

Wigan Road was closed at its junction with Hulton Lane and Deane Church Lane while accident investigators examined the scene. Police believe the speeding car, which was black, may have been racing with another vehicle.

Insp Paul Rowe, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "I would like to appeal directly to the driver of the black car to come forward.

"We are appealing for anyone with information about the driver or the car to contact us.

"We believe the registration number contained the letters J247 or JZ."

Janice Burgess, who works in Rosie's Sandwich Shop, said that Wigan Road had become dangerous.

She said: "I've seen a lot of near-misses outside our shop.

"Drivers are often speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road."

Another resident called for traffic lights to be installed in Wigan Road at its junction with Deane Church Lane.

She said: "It's a dreadful road. Drivers go too fast and children going to the nearby schools have to dodge the traffic that is always whizzing past."

Anyone who has information about the crash should contact the Road Policing Unit on 0161 856 5973.