A 33-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after his passenger died in a car crash.

The dead man, a 21-year-old from Wallsend, was the front-seat passenger in the car which careered out of control and overturned after hitting a lamppost in Shiremoor, North Tyneside, on Wednesday night.

Three other passengers in the Ford Fiesta, all women, were taken to hospital - two were seriously hurt.

The car had been spotted by a police patrol on North Tyneside speeding along Park Avenue, Shiremoor, minutes before the crash.

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal collision is now being headed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) after being referred by Northumbria Police.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "Officers on patrol in Shiremoor reported seeing a Ford Fiesta driving at speed along Park Avenue.

"Seconds later the car crossed a Metro bridge and lost control, hit a lamppost and overturned.

"The incident has been reported to the IPCC and representatives are travelling to Northumbria to supervise the inquiry."

The driver suffered minor injuries.