One man is in a critical condition and 12 others have been taken to hospital after two buses collided in the centre of Luton this afternoon.

Police were called to the bus lane on New Bedford Road at 4:10pm after reports that two buses had hit each other head on.

Emergency services were attending the scene, along with the air ambulance, and the casualties have been taken to nearby hospitals.

Some of the passengers suffered leg injuries.

Luton and Dunstable University Hospital has asked people to avoid their A&E department for non life-threatening illness while they assist those who need urgent help.

Motorists have also been urged by emergency services to avoid the area.

The two buses involved in the collision were from Grant Palmer and Centrebus.

A spokesman for Grant Palmer said the driver of their vehicle had been injured in the crash, but could not confirm if he was the man in critical condition.

Grant Palmer is a family-owned bus company which runs 35 buses in the Bedfordshire area.

This is the second collision in two years between a Grant Palmer and Centrebus in Luton.

In June 2016, 15 people were taken to hospital after two buses crashed on a Saturday afternoon on the westbound side of the Hatters Way busway near Chaul End Lane.

Five passengers suffered serious but non life-threatening injuries.