Four people have been left in hospital including one airlifted to A&E after a crash between two cars.

A huge emergency response was triggered at about 7pm on Sunday (August 3) night with police, fire crews, four ambulances and the air ambulance called to the scene.

Police received a call to a two-car crash and found a Citroen C4 and Audi A3 with four people, a man and three women, injured.

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The incident happened on the junction of the A693 and West Road in Annfield Plain, County Durham.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a car badly smashed up and the air ambulance coming in to land.

The Northern Echo: Police closed the road and the air ambulance was called to the scene.

One person was airlifted to James Cook Hospital while three were taken to University Hospital North Durham by road while the vehicles were recovered.

The road was closed until around 10.20pm.

A Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) spokesperson said: “Our critical care team was activated at 7.46pm to reports of a road traffic incident in the Greencroft area of Annfield Plain.

“They arrived on scene at 7.59pm and worked alongside the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) to assess and treat a patient before airlifting them to hospital.”

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A spokesperson for Durham Police added: “Officers attended a two-vehicle road traffic collision on the A693, at Greencroft Industrial Park, just before 7pm last night. The incident involved a Citron C4 and an Audi A3.

“Colleagues from the North East Ambulance Service, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service also attended.

“Four people, a man and three women, were taken to hospital for treatment. The road was closed whilst the vehicles were recovered and reopened at around 10.20pm.”