TWO men have died after their car crashed head-on with a prison van last night.

The two men were in a Ford Fiesta heading North on the A688 road between Bowburn and Tursdale in County Durham which inexplicably crossed the road completely and smashed head-on into the van.

A police spokesman said: "The car was totally destroyed."

Both were cut free but were certified dead at the scene. They are both in their 20s and from the nearby village of West Cornforth.

Both occupants of the van, which is not believed to have had any prisoners on board, also had to be cut free from the wreckage.

The driver suffered only minor injuries but the front seat passenger broke both of his legs.