TWO police officers have been hurt in a two-vehicle crash during a police pursuit in the early hours of this morning.

The crash, which involved a marked Peugeot police car and a Ford Focus, took place in West Coronation Street, Murton, County Durham, at around 1am.

The Peugeot patrol car was in the vicinity of an ongoing pursuit of the Ford Focus, when the suspect vehicle rounded a corner and collided head-on with the oncoming police car.

Paramedics and the fire service attended the scene and the two police constables were cut free from the car and were taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital for treatment.

One officer suffered a suspected broken wrist and rib and hip injuries, while the second officer was treated for minor injuries.

Both have been released after treatment.

Police have made three arrests in connection with the incident.

A man in his 40s and a woman in her early 30s were both arrested on suspicion of taking a car without the owner’s consent and other driving offences.

The woman was also arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs.

Both were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure and were released back into police custody.

A man has also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and police inquiries are ongoing.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Peterlee CID on 101 quoting incident number 0023 of June 17.

The road was closed for approximately eight hours to allow for the wreckage to be recovered and for the scene to be forensically examined.