THE Government has agreed to re-examine speeding up safety work at a notorious A66 junction.

The news came hours before the latest accident at the Longnewton junction, near Stockton, in which two people were taken to hospital.

David Jamieson, road safety minister, spoke to Stockton South MP Dari Taylor and Stockton BoroughCouncil officials on Monday night.

He promised to look again at a timetable for improvements planned for the junction. However, he did not make a final commitment to bring forward the work, which has been delayed for two years.

The drivers of a Vauxhall panel van and a Vauxhall Vectra were helped out of their vehicles on the westbound carriageway of the A66 shortly before 9am yesterday. Both escaped with minor injuries.

A number of accidents have occurred on the stretch of road with motorists travelling towards Stockton and Middlesbrough having to cross two streams of traffic heading in the opposite direction at up to 70mph.

Mrs Taylor explained to the minister that work on a new junction was expected to begin next summer. However, the work has been delayed until 2008.

Big increases in traffic using the A66 are expected once the nearby Durham Tees Valley Airport is expanded in the coming years.

"I am going to make sure that the door that Mr Jamieson has opened to speed up the work this week stays open," said Mrs Taylor.