A major County Durham road was closed for several hours after a Mercedes van drove into a telephone pole - causing significant damage to the vehicle and the piece of equipment.

Emergency services were called to the A6076 in Stanley, near Church Bank, at around 9am on Monday (August 22), following reports of a serious incident on the stretch of road.

After arriving on the scene, Durham Police warned drivers to stay away from the scene, with the police force posting to social media: "Drivers are being warned about a road closure which will cause traffic disruption in Stanley.

Read more: LIVE: A6076 Church Bank in Stanley to be closed for 'several hours' after crash

"The one-way section of Church Bank has been closed following a road traffic collision between the roundabout at the top of Barn Hill and St Andrew’s Church.

"The closure is likely to last several hours and motorists are asked to find an alternative route."

After attending the scene for several hours, police officers reopened the road at around 12.45pm - and confirmed that the incident involved a van and a telephone pole.

In an updated statement, a spokesperson for Durham Police said: "It’s a Mercedes van which hit and damaged a telephone pole shortly before 9am today.

"The vehicle has since been removed, but a road closure is necessary to make the telephone pole safe."

It's thought that no one was injured during the incident, but an investigation is underway into how the incident happened.

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