AN INQUEST has opened into the death of a mother-of-two who died following a head-on crash near Darlington.

Christine Margaret Watson suffered fatal injuries in the collision on a stretch of the A167 Croft Road between Hurworth and Darlington.

The 59-year-old was taken from the scene by ambulance to Darlington Memorial Hospital where she died on November 26.

A hearing at Crook Coroner's Court on Monday heard Ms Watson, of Croft-on-Tees, worked as a cleaner and was divorced.

Senior coroner for County Durham and Darlington, Andrew Tweddle, heard police were making inquiries into the circumstances of the incident, while a doctor had been instructed to carry out a post-mortem.

An inquest review is scheduled to take place on March 20.