A NURSE had a narrow escape when she found herself in a terrifying situation after stopping to help a car crash "victim" who turned out to be faking.

Detectives believe four men may have staged the accident in a bid to stop the woman.

But when the nurse became suspicious, one of the men lunged at her as she screeched away in her car.

Police said the woman was driving to work when she stopped to help after being waved down.

She saw four men next to an old silver Ford Escort pulled over on a quiet country road.

One of them was lying on the footpath and appeared to be injured or ill and the other two were kneeling beside him.

The man who waved asked to borrow the nurse's mobile phone to call for help but when she said she would call for him he lunged at the car, trying to get the driver's door open.

As the woman drove off, receiving a torrent of abuse, she saw that the "injured" man was on his feet.

The incident happened at about 12.40pm on Tuesday on the A182 between Easington Village and South Hetton, County Durham, as the woman, in her mid-thirties, headed for Tyneside.

Police say the woman was wary and locked her car doors as a precaution when she slowed down but opened her window.

Detective Constable Brian Roberts, of Peterlee CID, said the men had gone to some trouble to stage an incident that would get a passing driver to stop.

"I don't think they would have gone to all that trouble just to snatch a mobile phone. Perhaps they intended to hijack the car but at this stage we can only speculate.

"The victim was wary about what she was confronted with and thankfully took the precaution of locking the car doors.

"This may not have been a one-off and we would like to hear from anyone else who might have been subject to the same ruse."

The man who waved the nurse down is in his early twenties, has blond spiky hair and the bridge of his nose is flat or slightly squashed.

He was wearing a gold watch chain around his neck, a white T-shirt with a motif and spoke with a strong local accent.

AA spokeswoman Denise Raven said the nurse reacted in the right way. "She is very lucky she had her wits about her," she said. "Things like this tend to be isolated cases and you are more likely to come across a legitimate incident.

"But if you are ever stopped unexpectedly we would hope you would stay in the vehicle, talk to the person through the open window, and keep your doors locked and engine running."

Anyone who recognises the description or saw the incident should call police on 0191-586 2621.