HEAVY rain was blamed for a spate of accidents and road closures at the weekend.

Northumbria Police said it received reports of more than 100 incidents overnight, including a number of flooded houses in the Morpeth area of Northumberland.

Durham Police said the atrocious weather conditions closed the A19 for several hours after a woman driver suffered serious injuries after encountering standing water on the carriageway near Hutton Henry, just south of Peterlee, County Durham.

A police spokesman said: ''Two cars hit a deep pool of flood water and one of them subsequently hit a lamp-post. One of the drivers, a 47-year-old woman from Seaham, County Durham, suffered a fractured pelvis."

The woman was taken to the University Hospital of Hartlepool for treatment.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "More than 100 flooding incidents were reported across the force area overnight on Friday, the majority regarding roads having to be closed for vehicles to be recovered."

Water levels peaked at about 5am on Saturday and the dry weather for the rest of the weekend meant there were no other incidents.