Three people have been injured in a 12 car pile-up on a dual carriageway in County Durham.
Emergency services rushed to the A19, close to Dalton Park retail outlet, just before 10am today.
An air ambulance was dispatched alongside five fire engines and multiple police cars.
The road was sealed off completely for several hours following the crash but reopened northbound just after 12.30pm, Durham Police said.
A spokeswoman for the North East Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 9.14am to reports of a road traffic collision on the A19 southbound.
“We dispatched six resources and requested an air ambulance.
“We treated and discharged one patient at the scene and three patients are being taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital.”
Dramatic images posted on social media showed a number of crumpled cars next to the barrier on the carriageway.
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