A man is fighting for his life in hospital after his car smashed into a lamppost.

The 33-year-old had been travelling westbound on Moorway from Windlass Lane in Washington when his grey Citroen C4 collided with a lamppost.

Emergency services attended and found the man had suffered a serious head injury. He was taken to hospital at the RVI in Newcastle where he remains in a critical condition.

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Police are yet to establish why the car came off the road, shortly before 11.40pm on Wednesday (October 11) night.

His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.

Two other occupants believed to have been in the car at the time of the crash had left the scene before police arrived. They have been urged to “do the right thing” and speak to police.

An investigation is now underway with officers also appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.

PC Gary Collins, of Northumbria Police said: “This is a very serious collision which has left a man fighting for his life in hospital.

 “A number of enquiries are ongoing to establish exactly what has happened in the moments prior, and also to locate all parties believed to have been involved.

 “We would urge those who were in the car – or anyone with information – to get in touch with us as soon as possible. Please do the right thing and speak to police.

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 “Your information, no matter how small it may seem, could prove vital in the early stages of our investigation.”

A force spokesperson added: “Officers are particularly keen to hear from any witnesses who were in the area at the time, and may have CCTV or dashcam footage which could assist their investigation.

 “Anyone with information should use the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of the Northumbria Police website or call 101, quoting log number NP-20231011-1331.”

The North East Ambulance Service said in a statement: "We were called to reports of a road traffic collision in the Arklecrag area of Washington shortly after 11.30pm on 11 October.

"We subsequently transported one patient to the RVI for further treatment."