A WOMAN and four horses have died following an early morning crash on a busy road which connects Ayrshire and Glasgow.

Police are appealing for information following the fatal collision on the A737 near Howwood on Monday, September 23.

Around 3.10am, officers were called to the crash involving a Mercedes A-class car and a MAN box van.

A number of calls around that time also reported six horses running loose on the A737.

Police and ambulance crews attended and a 59-year-old woman, who was a passenger in the Mercedes, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 52-year-old man - the driver of the car - was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

A 33-year-old man who was a passenger in the car and a 59-year-old man driving the van were taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley for assessment.

Four of the horses died after being struck by vehicles and two were taken to safety.

The road was closed while an investigation was carried out and it reopened at 2pm.

Sergeant Jack Swindells said: “We are providing support to the family of the woman who died as our enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances of this crash.

“We would appeal to anyone who was driving on the A737 on Monday morning around the time of the crash who either witnessed the crash take place or seen the horses running on the road.

"Anyone with dash-cam footage is also asked to please contact us as soon as possible.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 0291 of September 23.”