A MAN has been charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving after a cyclist was injured in a collision with a car.

John Gareth Wilson, 37, of Cornwall Place, Bishop Auckland, will appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court this afternoon.

He will also face a charge of failing to provide a sample to police.

Officers were following a Vauxhall Astra along Walker Drive, Bishop Auckland, at about 10.30am, yesterday when the collision happened.

Police cordoned off part of the road on Woodhouse Close Estate for about four hours so road collision investigators could carry out a detailed examination of the scene.

The 26-year-old cyclist remains in a stable condition in James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been made aware of the incident.