AN 80-year-old woman has died after a three-car smash in a residential area.

The pensioner died yesterday morning after her Austin Mini car was involved in the collision just after 8am on Saturday in Durham Lane, in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton.

A 51-year-old woman in a Rover 75 received minor injuries in the accident, close to the Durham Lane shops car park, and was taken to hospital for treatment, but the male driver of a Vauxhall Astra also involved was not hurt.

The pensioner, who has not yet been named, was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where she died at 10am yesterday.

Acting Sergeant Neil Foster, of Cleveland's Road Policing Unit, said: "This was a tragic fatal accident and we are eager to speak to anyone who witnessed the collision, or who saw the vehicles immediately prior to the collision."

Police closed the road for almost three hours while the scene was cleared and examined by accident investigators.

Meanwhile, yesterday, two men were lucky to be alive after their vehicle crashed head-on into a concrete wall in Stockton.

Two teenagers were travelling in a stolen yellow Citroen Saxo car as it made its way north, along Riverside Road.

However, the driver lost control on a bend, just before Church Road, and the car smashed into a high concrete wall, well-known in the town for its painted murals.

One man ran from the car, leaving the second, from Hemlington in Middlesbrough, behind with injuries. He was taken to North Tees University Hospital where he is due to undergo surgery on a broken arm.

A man from Stockton was arrested close to the scene on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking and drink driving.

A security guard, who did not wish to be named, at the nearby Castlegate Shopping Centre, saw the accident unfold as he monitored CCTV cameras.

He said: "I first heard a car roaring past at speed and I saw this small yellow car really motoring past. It started to take the bend and I just knew they weren't going to make it. I had a bad feeling about it."

A copy of the CCTV footage has been handed to police.

Acting Sergeant Foster said it was a miracle the men had not been more seriously hurt.

He said: "It was a spectacular crash and it's remarkable that anyone was able to get out of it alive. The car is a total write off."

Anyone with information on either crashes is asked to call police on 01642-301552.