A WOMAN has died in hospital four days after being seriously injured when her car was in collision with a lorry.

Police yesterday named her as 24-year-old Denae Mills, of Berwick Court, Trimdon Grange, County Durham.

She was cut free from her damaged Vauxhall Astra and airlifted from the scene of the crash, on the A181 near Wheatley Hill, in east Durham.

Her car was involved in a collision with a Mercedes flatbed truck that was turning right at the junction with Cemetery Road, leading from Wheatley Hill on to the A181.

Police said Ms Mills was flown by ambulance helicopter to Middlesbrough General Hospital, but she failed to regain consciousness and died in the intensive care unit on Saturday.

Durham Police said that the Middlesbrough Coroner's office has been informed of the death and inquest proceedings were likely to start in the next few days.

The lorry driver, a 43-year-old man from the Teesside area, was not badly injured in the incident.

Accident investigators from the force's traffic unit have renewed appeals to witnesses to the crash, which happened at about 9.20am last Tuesday.

Anyone with information is asked to telephone 0191-386 4929.