A motorcyclist was left seriously injured after colliding with a car on a busy Durham junction, outside of a popular pub.

In the afternoon of Thursday (June 1), a car hit a motorbike at the former New Inn crossroads in central Durham, next to Whitechurch Free House.

This prompted a huge emergency response, and the injured motorcyclist was rushed to the University Hospital of North Durham by ambulance.

Several lanes were closed to keep emergency services, the public, and those involved in the collision safe. Diversions were put in place, but the road has now fully reopened.

Read more: Durham crash LIVE: Motorbike collides at New Inn junction

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: “Shortly before 4.15 pm, police were alerted to a collision between a motorcycle and a car at the former New Inn crossroads in Durham which left a motorcyclist with serious injuries.

“Emergency crews are at the scene and a number of lane closures and diversions are in place at the crossroads, which has caused significant traffic disruption. Drivers are urged to avoid the area if possible”.

An eyewitness who was at the scene of the collision said: "There were about eight police cars at the junction, with emergency responders treating someone who was lying in the middle of the road.

"Durham is totally gridlocked, as Stockton Road and Quarryheads were closed, with cars being diverted up South Road or down Church Street."

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The North East Ambulance Service confirmed that they were in attendance, alongside colleagues from the Great North Air Ambulance.

A spokesperson for the service said: "We were called to reports of a road traffic collision on the junction of the A177 Stockton Road with Church Street Head in Durham at 4.11 pm on June 1.

"We dispatched one ambulance crew and requested support from Great North Air Ambulance Service and transported one patient by road to University Hospital of North Durham."