SIX people were injured when a car was ripped apart in a head-on collision with a bus.

The car driver, who had to be cut free from the wreckage, suffered a broken leg plus head and neck injuries.

The driver of the bus suffered a blow to the head and three women passengers, aged 13, 58 and 52, needed treatment for minor injuries but were immediately released from hospital.

The bus driver was breathalysed at the scene, in Houghton Market Place, near Sunderland, but his employer, Go North-East, confirmed the test proved negative.

Paramedics gave first aid to the trapped motorist while firefighters used cutting equipment to free him.

Sub Officer Colin Jeffrey said: "It took us about 45 minutes to get him out, and he was in agony.

"We had to take the roof off, but the car was already a write-off anyway."

He said the offside wing of the bus had been ripped off in the crash.

The stretch of road was sealed off for three hours after the accident, which happened on Thursday lunchtime, while the vehicles were towed away and accident inquiries were carried out.

Yvonne Dixon, marketing manager for Go North-East, said the company had launched its own investigation.

This will include a thorough mechanical check of the bus, as well as examining the bus driver's driving history.

She said: "We will obviously look at the driver in the circumstances and ensure that he was not at fault."

The Peugeot driver was 30 years old.

His passenger was a 35-year-old man, who suffered a bump to the head.