A MAN was left fighting for his life after a head-on collision between two cars on Sunday.

The accident involved two Volkswagen Passats travelling on the A6072 West Auckland Road, Shildon, County Durham, at about 12.50pm.

Police said the first Passat was travelling north east towards Bishop Auckland.

This vehicle contained three occupants, a male driver, a female front seat passenger and a male rear seat passenger.

The second Passat was travelling south east on the road in the direction of Shildon. This vehicle contained two occupants, a male driver and a male front seat passenger. All occupants were from the Bishop Auckland and Shildon areas.

It is thought the first Passat had been attempting to overtake another vehicle when it collided head-on with the second Passat.

As a result of the collision the male rear seat passenger of the first Passat suffered a serious head injury and a fractured femur.

It is understood he was taken by the Great North Air Ambulance to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where he was put in an induced coma and his condition was described on Sunday night as critical.

The male driver and the female front seat passenger required no hospital treatment.

The driver of the second Passat suffered a fractured knee cap and was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital. The male front seat passenger did not require hospital treatment.

The road was closed for several hours while emergency services worked at the scene.

Durham Constabulary has appealed to any witnesses to the accident to contact the investigating officers from the Collision Investigation Unit on 0191-3752159.

In a separate incident, firefighters cut free a motorist from a vehicle following a two-vehicle collision in High Grange Avenue, Billingham.

The incident took place at around 9.30pm on Sunday. Two people needed hospital treament.