A stretch of the A1 had to be closed in the early hours of Tuesday (November 22) after a woman 'fell from' a moving vehicle.

Police were called to the A-road towards Gateshead shortly after midnight following reports of concerns of a woman’s welfare.

Emergency services attended the scene between junctions 65 and 64 on the A1, southbound, at around 12.20am. 

Northumbria Police said the road was closed to “deal with the incident and for the safety of other road users”.

However, they haven't confirmed many details about the nature of the incident or how the woman came to fall out of the vehicle.

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While the woman is not believed to have suffered serious injuries during the incident, she was taken to hospital for further treatment.

A spokeswoman for the North East Ambulance Service said: "We received a call at 12.17am this morning to reports of a person injured on the A1 (southbound) near Birtley.

"We dispatched two specialist paramedics and two crews from our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART). One patient was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for further treatment."

Northumbria Police confirm enquiries into the incident are ongoing.

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