A girl has been awarded £5.1 million damages nine years after she was left wheelchair-bound when a car driven by her nanny was involved in a head-on collision.

Tania Chapman-Fortune, now 12, was three years old when she suffered devastating injuries in an accident on the A22 Uckfield bypass on November 5, 1994.

Tania, described as a bright and intelligent child, lost the use of her legs and much of the use in her arms and is dependent on a 24-hour care regime.

Her mother Judy was at the High Court in London for settlement of the damages claim against nanny Carrie Elphick, who was also seriously injured in the crash.

After hearing details of the case, the judge, Mr Justice Owen, said he was satisfied that the £5.1 million sum, which will be paid by insurers, was an "entirely fair and appropriate settlement".

He said: "This is a very tragic case, but what is perhaps most important for Tania and for her mother is that... her future is entirely secure."

Afterwards, Mrs Chapman-Fortune said of her daughter: "She loves music. She is a very bright little girl. If anything, the accident has made her more determined."

Tania was a back seat passenger sitting on a child's booster seat and strapped in by the car's seat belt when the accident happened.

She now needs extensive therapy and equipment to help her to do even the simplest tasks, such as dressing herself and cutting up food.

The judge heard that liability was never an issue in the case. The only matter that had to be resolved was the level of compensation to be paid.