A woman has been taken to hospital following a crash which saw the fire service cut open her vehicle to free her after she suffered a "medical episode" behind the wheel.

A North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) spokesperson has confirmed a woman was taken to James Cook Hospital after a crash on the A19 near Easington at 3:30pm today (July 25).

Durham Police confirmed a female driver of a Nissan car is suspected to have suffered a medical episode at the wheel before crashing into a roadside barrier.

Read more: Easington A19 Crash LIVE: Road closed both ways

They said she needed to be cut free from her car by the fire service.

A Durham Police spokesperson said: "We were alerted shortly after 3.30pm to a collision on the southbound carriageway of the A19 near to Easington Services.

"The female driver of a Nissan car is suspected to have suffered a medical episode at the wheel then crashed into a roadside barrier and needed to be cut free by the fire service.

"One lane of the carriageway was closed while emergency services dealt with the collision."

A NEAS spokesperson said: "We were called to a one-vehicle road traffic collision on the A19 near Easington just after 3.30 this afternoon.

"We dispatched a double crewed ambulance, a clinical team leader and one vehicle from our Hazardous Area Response Team. One patient was taken to James Cook Hospital."