POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a motorcyclist suffered serious injuries after he fell from his bike earlier today (Thursday, March 20).

A police spokesman said an off-duty police officer found a man lying in the road at about at Times Inn Bank in B1285 at Dalton-le-Dale, near Seaham, at about 6am.

One vehicle was involved, a white Generic 125cc motorcycle. The rider was a 20-year-old man from Seaham, who suffered a number of internal injuries and a broken collarbone.

He was taken to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where he condition has been described as serious.

The spokesman said: “It’s thought the rider, who had set off for work around 15 minutes earlier had turned right onto Times Inn Bank when for some reason he fell from his machine as he travelled towards Seaham."

Anybody who witnessed the accident or may have seen the bike on that stretch of road this morning is asked to contact Durham Police on 101.