POLICE appealed for information last night after a 100mph car chase through the streets of a North-East town.

The 20 minute high speed pursuit through Darlington only ended when the gold-coloured Lexus was abandoned as police closed in.

The dramatic chase was captured by a film crew from the documentary series Police Interceptors.

Officers said the incident began at around 10.30pm on Saturday night (April 4), when the Lexus is said to have driven off from police as they carried out routine stops in the North Road area of the town.

The pursuit took officers around Katherine Street, Denmark Street, Whessoe Road and the busyNorth Road where speeds reached 100mph.

It came to an end at the junction of Holmwood Grove and Mayfair Road, where the occupants ran off.

Crowds quickly began to gather on Mayfair Road to watch the drama unfold as the police helicopter circled overhead searching for the suspects.

Officers from Durham Constabulary’s dog support unit were also called in to help traffic officers and local response officers with the search for the suspects.

Police said two men from Darlington were later arrested on suspicion of the theft of a vehicle.

The 23-year-old driver was later charged with dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving with no insurance and resisting a police officer.

He was remanded in custody and will appear at Peterlee Magistrates' Court tomorrow morning (Monday, April 6).

The 21-year-old passenger was released without charge.

Last night police appealed for anyone who may have seen the Lexus to come forward. A spokesman said: "We would like to hear from anyone who saw the car either during the incident or before."

A nearby resident, who did not wish to be named, said he was in his living room on Holmwood Grove when he heard sirens from one of the police cars which had stopped in Mayfair Road.

“I had a two-month-old baby sleeping in the house and asked for the sirens to be turned off but was told that the police car was locked,” he said.

“At that time of night there was no need to leave the sirens on while they had already stopped the car.”

A film crew from the Channel 5 show, Police Interceptors, also filmed the drama as it unfolded.

The crew are currently filming with Durham and Cleveland Road Policing Unit for a new series of the show, which follows police officers as they fight crime across the country.

The programme features everything from high-speed chases and drink drivers, to light-hearted incidents involving the team’s food breaks and jokes in the incident room.

Anyone with information on the incident can call Durham Police on 101.