Woman left with minor injuries after early-morning crash on A19

There were reports of a one-vehicle collision on the main route, which has taken place around half a mile north of the Seaham junction.

One lane on the northbound carriageway was blocked following the incident, in which a single vehicle is thought to have a collided with the central reservation.

There were long tailbacks in the area as emergency services dealt with the incident.

Recovery teams attended the scene, and the road fully reopened to the public at 7.40am.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “At 6.11am today (Friday), police received a report of a one-vehicle collision on the A19 northbound just past the Seaham junction.

“A woman was taken to hospital as a precaution with minor injuries. Nobody else was injured.

“The vehicle was uplifted and the road is now clear.”