ACCIDENT investigators last night appealed for witnesses to come forward following a collision in which a car driver was killed and another motorist was injured.

The dead man, believed to be in his late 20s and from South Yorkshire, was driving a Nissan Almera that collided with a Ford Transit van on the northbound carriageway of the A1(M) in County Durham.

Both vehicles were heading north when the accident took place between junctions 62 and 63, the stretch from Carrville to Chester-le-Street, at about 3am yesterday.

Police said it appeared the Almera struck the verge of the central reservation, causing the car to go out of control. The vehicle came to a standstill, facing in the wrong direction.

It was hit by the van, which then collided with the crash barrier and overturned.

The driver of the Almera was declared dead on arrival at hospital.

His name has not been released but his family were travelling from South Yorkshire last night to carry out a formal identification.

The van driver, a 28-year-old man from the Usworth area of Washington, suffered facial and chest injuries and was kept in Durham's University Hospital of North Durham.

Witnesses are asked to contact Durham Police traffic unit on 0191-386 4929.