A TEN-YEAR-OLD boy has suffered a badly broken leg after he was injured in a road traffic accident.

The boy was struck by a Toyota Corolla on Benfieldside Road in Blackhill, Consett, at just after 6pm this evening. The female driver of the car is believed to be uninjured.

The youngster was taken by ambulance to the University Hospital of North Durham for treatment.

A spokesman for County Durham Police said the boy's injuries were not life threatening, but described the fracture as "particularly nasty".

The road was closed while police carried out investigations and made the area safe.