KNIFE men who crashed their car twice in a dangerous daylight race around Darlington are being hunted by police.

The four occupants of a silver Honda Accord – two of them reportedly wielding knives – went on the run on Sunday afternoon after crashing into two vehicles.

They had allegedly been racing a blue Ford Transit van when both vehicles collided on the busy North Road at around 1.20pm.

The driver of the Honda then made off at speed down Whessoe Road before turning down Lowson Street, where they crashed into another vehicle.

Four men, believed to be in their thirties, then fled the scene and ran towards the Thompson Street East area, where they were spotted running through gardens and jumping over fences on Fitzwilliam Drive.

Witnesses claimed to have seen two of the men brandishing knives, with one telling The Northern Echo: “There were police everywhere looking for them.

“It’s quite frightening, I live nearby and am quite concerned about it all, especially when we’ve got kids playing out.”

Inspector Chris Knox, from Darlington Neighbourhood Police Team, said: “This was a very concerning incident which took place in broad daylight on a Sunday afternoon.

“We are actively investigating the incident and at present, the men remain outstanding.

“We would be very keen to speak to anyone who knows who they are.” The incident is not believed to be connected to the targeting of a property on Darlington’s Starmer Crescent that had its windows smashed in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Two suspects threw bricks at the house, smashing a front door window and living room window before driving off from the scene at around 1.40am.

Police were stationed outside of the property throughout Sunday and into Monday.

Anyone with any information about either incident should call Durham Police on 101, quoting incident number 232 of August 13 in relation to the men on the run or incident 49 concerning the criminal damage.