A MAN was fighting for his life after a head-on collision between two cars.

The accident happened at 11pm on Saturday on the A692 near the Potter's Wheel pub in Sunniside, near Gateshead.

An Audi and a Volkswagen are believed to have hit each other and careered off the road. A Northumbria Police spokesman said the engine compartment of the Audi was on fire when officers arrived and they doused the flames with an extinguisher. Firefighters cut both drivers free.

One of the drivers, a 27-year-old man, was taken to Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital suffering from life-threatening injuries. A woman was also taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The road was closed for more than four hours.

* A 36-year-old motorcyclist from Wallsend was badly hurt when his bike hit a verge at speed and he was thrown off.

The accident happened on Saturday at 2.15pm on the Newcastle Central Motorway.