A man has been charged with causing the deaths of two people who died in a collision on the M25.

Four others were seriously injured, including a man who remains in a critical but stable condition, Hertfordshire Constabulary said.

It happened at around 4am on Sunday 4 February between junctions 22 and 21a.

One of four vehicles involved – a white Citroen Dispatch van – was being chased by officers in a marked vehicle shortly before the collision took place.

Their “pursuit was quickly abandoned as officers assessed the risk of continuing was too high”, police added.

Essex Police are conducting a “criminal investigation into the collision”, the Hertfordshire force said.

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In addition to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, Barancan Nurcin, 22, from Tottenham in north London, also faces four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was remanded in custody and was due to appear before Hatfield Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

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The people killed were a woman driving a DFSK 580 Glory and a man in the van.

A silver Skoda Superb and a black Peugeot 5008 were also involved.

Hertfordshire Constabulary said the incident had been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct as a “matter of course”.

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