A MAN has been arrested on suspicion of trying to murder four Hampshire children after they were seriously injured in a car crash 250 miles from their home.

The children - from Hythe - were hurt when a vehicle ploughed into a pub in south Yorkshire.

A 29-year-old man, who was also seriously injured, was initially arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and being unfit through drink or drugs.

But he was later quizzed on suspicion of attempting to murder the children following the crash in Barnsley on Wednesday morning.

The children - two girls aged seven and eight and two boys aged nine months and 21 months - remain in a serious condition in hospital.

Hampshire police confirmed that they had received a report that a man in his 20s and four children had gone missing from Hythe.

The crash happened at the Traveller's Inn at Thurgoland, Barnsley.

Hours before the accident a woman from Hythe, believed to be the children's mother, posted a desperate message on Facebook appealing for information about the whereabouts of her ex-partner.

A Hampshire police spokesman said: "We can confirm a report was made to police on Tuesday that a man in his 20s and four young children were missing from Hythe.

"The man and the children were located after being involved in a single-vehicle collision in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in the early hours of Wednesday.

"The collision is being investigated by South Yorkshire police with assistance from Hampshire Constabulary.”