A TEENAGER was seriously injured after being hit with a brick while riding a motorbike in Gateshead.

At 11.55pm, on Monday, November 24, police received a report from the ambulance service of a 16-year-old boy having been found with serious facial injuries in the Durham Road area of Birtley.

The teenager had been riding the motorcycle with a pillion passenger on board at around 11.30pm along with another motorbike with just one rider.

As they made they way along Durham Road, two men described as white, in their 30s and wearing dark clothing, approached the bikers. One threw a brick at the teenage rider hitting him in the face. Noone else was injured.

The men fled the scene, as well as the bike passenger and other rider, leaving the victim behind.

Detective Sergeant Neil Wynd, from Northumbria Police's Major Crime Team, said: "The victim is currently in the RVI hospital with very serious facial injuries and we are carrying out enquiries to establish the circumstances around this incident.

"We know there were three people on two motorbikes in the area at the time and that the victim was riding one of the bikes and had a pillion passenger on board.

"When officers arrived at the scene both bikes had left the scene and we are currently trying to identify and locate the two people who we believe were on them.

"We need to speak to anyone who was in Durham Road around 11.30pm last night and who saw what happened to contact us as soon as possible."

Anyone with any information into the incident is asked to contact police on 101 ext 69191 quoting reference number 1386 24/11/14.