A LORRY driver could hold vital information about the crash that claimed the lives of two bowling club members.

Police investigating last Wednesday's tragedy on the A19 near Peterlee in County Durham have appealed for the driver to get in touch with them.

Hartlepool Bowling Club members Mae Waugh, 70, and Patricia Packham, 53, who both lived in the town, died when the two cars they were in were hit by a lorry.

The accident happened after they stopped on the side of the busy northbound carriageway to examine a flat tyre.

Jean Walton, 72, also of Hartlepool, is still in the town's General Hospital and is being treated for serious leg and internal injuries. Her condition is improving slightly.

Two other women needed hospital treatment, as did the 29-year-old driver of the Ford cargo wagon.

Durham Police accident investigators say the driver of a lorry that passed the vehicles seconds before the accident could have important information.

He was driving a triple-axle flat bed trailer which was partially loaded.

"There is no suggestion the driver we want to trace is at fault for what happened, but he could have valuable information," he said.

The accident investigation unit can be reached on 0191-386 4929.