A POLICE chase ended dramatically in Darlington yesterday when a car swerved the wrong way round a roundabout before smashing into a police van and a car.

Moments earlier the red Nissan Primera had been driven the wrong way up a dual carriageway before reaching the roundabout at the bottom of Northgate.

The five-minute chase began at 2.10pm in Darlington when a police patrol car flashed the Primera, and asked the 24-year-old driver to pull over.

Instead of stopping, the driver sped off - and the police gave chase.

The L-Reg Primera exited the roundabout at the bottom of Haughton Road, and sped up St Cuthbert's Way in the wrong direction.

The car darted onto the roundabout - against the flow of traffic - but smashed into a police van at the bottom of Northgate. The Primera then collided with a black Hyundai.

The police van and the Hyundai were both going the right way round the roundabout.

After crashing, the Primera's driver tried to run away, but was grabbed by officers on the roundabout after a short chase.

One eyewitness said: "The red car came round the roundabout the wrong way, with a police car chasing him. Then he crashed.

"The door opened and he did a runner over the roundabout, but he only reached the wall before two officers got him. Within seconds about five police cars were there."

Another witness, from a nearby office, said: "I looked out of the window when I heard the sirens. The next thing that happened was a huge bang."

The 24-year-old Primera driver, from Darlington, was arrested on suspicion of driving without insurance, driving without a licence, and dangerous driving. A female passenger was also arrested.

The driver of the black Hyundai, a 20-year-old woman, was treated for whiplash. No one in the police van was injured.

Traffic near the roundabout was severely congested until around 3.45pm, when the Primera was towed away and the debris swept up.