A SENIOR traffic officer has expressed his disgust at some drivers who filmed on their mobile phones as they passed the scene of a serious crash on the A19.

Five vehicles were involved in the crash last Friday morning between Leven viaduct and the A174 which led to the closure of the A19 northbound for almost seven hours.

Officers from the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit (CDSOU), the Great North Air Amulance Service and paramedics worked on the casualties at the scene and one motorist involved remains in hospital in a critical condition.

A 54-year-old woman also remains in hospital, where her condition is described as stable.

Police have since issued a fixed penalty to one driver who stopped to watch the scene and will issue warning letters to another 11 drivers that have been identified as not paying attention to the road ahead of them because they were concentrating on the crash site.

Inspector Harry Simpson, from the CDSOU, said: “I am appalled and disgusted at some of the drivers who thought it was appropriate at the scene of a serious collision to film what was happening as they drove past on the opposite side of the carriageway.

“A man was critically injured in the collision, and he remains critically ill in hospital today.

"I dread to think what effect this would have had on his family had they seen any footage of this crash prior to us being able to contact them to pass on the distressing news of the collision.

“In cases like this it is not always easy to identify an injured person in a vehicle and inform their next of kin.

"Whilst the modern day use of social media means everything is immediate, I would hate to think that a family would identify a car that would show that their loved one has been seriously injured or killed through social media.

“Some drivers actions added to the congestion on the roads network by slowing down to an almost walking pace to have a look.

"Officers had to leave the scene to go onto the opposite carriageway to keep traffic flowing at a reasonable speed.

"The impact on people’s business and day to day routines can be extreme, but this is compounded by people slowing down to see what’s going on.

"It has a concertina effect in that one car slowing causes all the people behind to slow.

“I do not expect that whilst we are dealing with a collision that we would have other motorists risking their lives on the other side of the carriageway by not concentrating on the road ahead of them.

"Not only is it illegal but their voyeuristic actions could have caused another serious collision.”