A MAN was killed instantly when the car he was driving left the road before colliding with a wall and bursting into flames.

The fatal accident happened in the early hours of this morning when the man, who is in his early 30s, was driving east along Ladgate Lane, Middlesbrough.

The unnamed local driver of the green Mazda 323 collided with a wall just past the Marton railway station.

Residents who witnessed the tragedy unfold told of hearing a loud bang before the car burst into flames.

Emergency services rushed to the scene where the man was pronounced dead.

Sheila Forrest, who lives near the accident site, said: "We were all woken up by the bang at about 3.30am. I looked out of my window and saw a car was on fire.

"One of my neighbours went out and tried to get the lad out of the car. His wife was trying to stop him because of the fire.

"There were a couple of other explosions in the car. It was on fire for quite a while. We have all been sickened by what's happened."

The road was closed while the area was cleared of debris by council workers and the oil and fuel spillage was washed away by the fire service.

Watch manager Dennis Lightowler, of Middlesbrough fire station, said: "It was a single car road traffic accident. There was no other vehicle involved.

"He has hit a brick wall. We were the first there. We tried to get him out but we could see he was trapped.

"There was one person in the car. It was a horrific accident."

Fire crews also said they were not certain whether the fire was sparked by the impact or because of a vehicle defect.

They added the road was also frosty at the time of the incident.

Ladgate Lane was closed between Marton crossroads and Overdale Road for several hours this morning.

Cleveland Police are appealing for witnesses who were on the road at around 3.30am to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to call PC Jayson Morris of the road policing unit on (01642) 301552.