A 54-year-old pedestrian has died after he was struck by a car which had previously been followed by officers, police said.

The victim was one of two pedestrians who were hit outside the County Hotel pub on Walker Road in Newcastle at around 10pm on Sunday.

The car, a VW Passat, had previously been followed by police after being linked to two other vehicles which had been abandoned with damaged windscreens in the Walker area of the city, but officers lost sight of it, police said.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "Officers signalled for it to stop, and a short pursuit began, but the Passat drove off and officers lost sight of the vehicle.

"A short time later, officers received a report that the vehicle in question had collided with two pedestrians at the County Hotel pub on Walker Road.

"At the time of the collision, officers were not in pursuit of the vehicle."

Both pedestrians were taken to hospital with serious injuries, police said.

Three others in the car were also taken to hospital, one with serious injuries.

A 54-year-old man, one of the pedestrians, later died.

The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) "as is a matter of course in incidents of this nature", the force said.