A COUPLE were almost killed after yobs hurled a brick from a bridge and smashed their car windscreen.

Student Chris Mulliss had to have a shard of glass removed from his left eye after the windscreen of his Rover car shattered as he and girlfriend Nicola Roberts, 20, drove at 70mph.

Mr Mulliss, 20, said: "We both could have been killed. It is outrageous that there are people throwing housebricks at speeding cars.

"It just missed my head. If it had made contact with my head it would have knocked me out and I wouldn't have had control of the car."

The couple had been travelling from Sunderland to the Asda store in Boldon on Tuesday night when they took a wrong turning and ended up travelling down the A19 towards South Shields.

But as they passed under what is known locally as the Banana Bridge, which spans the dual carriageway between the Scotch and Lakes estates in Jarrow, a group of yobs hurled the brick at their car.

Emergency services have also criticised the attack, which could have claimed the lives of the young couple.

Detective Inspector Paul Young, of South Shields CID, said: "The fact that this man escaped with minor injuries is amazing.

"The consequences of these people's actions could have been far more serious, and instead of us wanting to question them in connection with an assault, they could be looking at a murder charge.

"It is vital that anybody who knows who these people are gets in touch with us, and anyone who sees gangs hanging around the bridge in future calls police as soon as possible."