A 48-year-old man died in one of two head-on smashes on North-East roads yesterday.

Front seat passenger Norman Rayner, of Acacia Gardens, Crook, County Durham, suffered multiple injuries and died at the scene.

Police said that the Ford Fiesta, which was being driven by his son, swerved into the path of an oncoming Peugeot 406 and collided on the minor road between Willington and Binchester, near Todhills brickworks, at about 1pm.

The Great North Air Ambulance flew the driver's 21-year-old wife, who was a rear seat passenger, to Middlesbrough General Hospital with a broken thigh. Both drivers were treated for minor injuries.

The air ambulance was scrambled a few hours later to a second head-on crash on the B6278 Barnard Castle to Eggleston road.

It happened shortly before 5.40pm and involved a Volvo car and a Land Rover.

A woman in her 40s managed to climb out of the overturned Land Rover and collapsed.

She was treated for chest and abdominal injuries by air ambulance paramedics and flown to North Tees Hospital by police helicopter, which had also been called in.

Firefighters cut a man from the wreckage of the Volvo and he was taken by air ambulance to Middlesbrough General Hospital with serious leg injuries.

The accident happened close to the spot where 35-year-old Michael Hopper, from Barnard Castle, died on July 21when his Renault Laguna burst into flames after a head-on collision with a Volvo S60.

Two of his passengers are still recovering from serious injuries.

Councillor Colin Bainbridge, a member of Eggleston Parish Council, warned afterwards that the stretch of road caught out many drivers because of the cambers and bends.

Anyone with information on either of yesterday's crashes should call Durham Police Accident Investigation Unit on 0191-375 2159.