BANK holiday traffic chaos began early yesterday as three accidents led to closures and long tailbacks on the A1(M) in the region.

At one stage up to 20-miles of traffic built up in either direction as stricken vehicles were recovered.

Three people were taken to hospital after the first accident involving two cars at the Bowburn interchange, at 12.55pm, which led to lengthy northbound queues.

Further problems developed later, further south in County Durham, with two accidents involving heavy goods vehicles - one northbound and the other southbound, between Aycliffe and Bradbury interchanges.

It led to the closure of the road in both directions for several hours, to clear the debris and remove the vehicles involved.

After the first accident, firefighters cut the driver of a silver Vauxhall Astra free from the wreckage and he was airlifted by ambulance helicopter to The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, with spinal injuries. Two other casualties from the same car were taken to hospital in Durham.

Even when the motorway was reopened, the situation had been compounded on both carriageways by the subsequent crashes involving heavy lorries, including a car transporter which shed its load of vehicles on the road.

Durham Police were critical of the "stupid behaviour" of some motorists caught up in the delays, which included driving on the hard shoulder and performing U-turns on sliproads.