POLICE have renewed appeals for bus passengers who may have witnessed a fatal road accident to come forward.

Passengers on a service bus could provide vital information to police investigating the accident near Sedgefield Village, County Durham, in which one man died and three others were seriously hurt.

So far, all appeals for witnesses to contact police have drawn a blank.

The accident happened shortly after 2pm on Saturday, June 21, about one mile south-east of Sedgefield. It involved two cars, a black Lexus and a green Audi coupe, which were travelling south on the dual carriageway.

As a result of the collision, the Lexus left the road and collided with a tree in the central reservation.

A passenger in the Lexus, a middle-aged man from Acklam in Middlesbrough, was certified dead on arrival at Middlesbrough General Hospital.

The driver of the car and two other passengers suffered multiple injuries. The Audi driver escaped unhurt.

Officers from the Durham Police accident investigation unit believe that shortly before the accident, the two cars overtook an Arriva 214 bus travelling from Sunderland to Middlesbrough.

Detectives have spoken to the driver of the bus, but none of the ten passengers believed to be travelling on it has come forward.

PC Helen Greenwell, of the investigating team, said she was surprised and puzzled at the lack of response.

She said: "They may not have seen the accident, but it's quite possible they could still provide us with information that would be vital to the investigation. We urge them to get in touch."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the accident investigation unit on 0191-386 4929.