TWO respected North-East musicians have been knocked down and killed in a hit-and-run accident.

Joe Scurfield and Keith Morris were struck by a white BMW as they crossed Westgate Road, in Newcastle, at 10pm on Wednesday.

The car did not stop and was later found abandoned in the city's West End.

Mr Scurfield, 52, and Mr Morris, 46, who are both from the Elswick area of Newcastle, were attended by paramedics at the scene. One man is thought to have survived for a short time.

Last night, police were questioning two people about the accident, a 17-year-old arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, and a 21-year-old, arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the cause of justice.

The dead men's names emerged even though they have not yet been formally identified.

Mr Scurfield was a fiddler with the well-known folk music and comedy band The Old String Rope Band and Mr Morris, originally from Cardiff, was known as a multi-instrumentalist and jazz composer.

Mr Scurfield's bandmates Pete Challoner and Tim Dalling could not be contacted last night, but were understood to be devastated.

Paul Green, who used to be part of the Northern Recording co-operative that ran a studio in Consett, County Durham, said the deaths would send shockwaves around the region's music scene.

"We have hired the Old Rope String Band for various gigs through the years. They did some schools stuff for us and they have used the studio.

"Joe was a real character and his loss will be felt by everyone. It is a terrible shame, a terrible shock.

"The music scene in the North-East is a small world and everyone knows everyone else. It is a small community, but the folk music is even smaller and everyone really does know everyone else.''

Witness Shiraz Mohammad, 18, of Ponteland, Northumberland, said he saw police arrive at the scene.

He said: "I was playing football on the sports field nearby when I heard these two massive bangs.

"At first, I thought it was a gunshot, then I heard someone yelling that there had been an accident. I ran to the road and there were two men lying there face down surrounded by broken glass.

"There were black skid marks and glass all the way down the road and on to the pavement from the bus shelter to the traffic island about 20 metres away."

A Northumbria Police declined to confirm or deny the dead men's identities until formal identification had been carried out.

It is not known if the car was stolen. Police are urging witnesses to call them on 0191-214 6555.