A JURY has begun its deliberations in the trial of a man accused of running down and fatally injuring a cyclist on the A19.

Lorry driver Paul Dove denies a charge of causing death by careless driving following an accident in the early hours of January 23 last year.

The victim, 50-year-old Christopher Griffiths, from Wynyard, near Stockton, had been cycling to work on the A19 near Billingham,, when he was struck and killed.

Mr Dove, 55, of Aldwych Square, Sunderland, has denied the prosecution claim that he was failing to pay attention to the road.

He also says that while he was late with a delivery of fireplaces he was carrying, he was not rushing to get to his destination.

The jury at Teesside Crown Court were sent home late on Tuesday afternoon by trial judge, The Recorder of Middlesbrough Simon Bourne-Arton, after failing to reach a verdict in the case.

They will return on Wednesday morning.