A man and his six-year-old son were killed when their horse-drawn gypsy caravan collided with a 38-tonne tanker, police said today.

The father and boy, believed to be from County Durham, were on their way back from the Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria when the accident took place.

They were travelling along the A66 near Appleby at 6pm yesterday when their caravan collided with an articulated tanker going in the same direction.

Cumbria Police said the 40-year-old man and his son were declared dead at the scene of the accident, as well as the horse pulling their caravan.

The driver of the tanker was uninjured and the tanker was empty at the time of the accident.

Inspector Paul Coulson said the caravan was a traditional gypsy caravan with a curved roof.

''Around 11,000 gypsies come to this area from all over the country at this time of the year for the Appleby Horse Fair,'' he said.

''Some hire these traditional caravans for the event.''

The dual carriageway was closed in both directions for five hours following the accident.