Firefighters have tackled a car blaze on a County Durham road which caused a ‘traffic nightmare’.

Flames engulfed a Vauxhall Zafira on Pelton Fell Road heading towards of Chester-le-Street shortly after 5pm.

Fire crews tackled the blaze and police were called to the scene.

One local who witnessed the fire said: “The car was on fire and there was lots of black smoke. People were getting out of their cars to see what was happened and the traffic was a nightmare.”

A County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “The call came in at 5.16pm and it was for a car fire. An appliance attended from our High Handenhold station.


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“It has now been handed over to the police.”

The Northern Echo has contacted Durham Constabulary for comment.

An AA map showing where the incident has happenedAn AA map showing where the incident has happened (Image: AA)