THE identity of a man who died after being struck by a car as he lay in the middle of a road remained a mystery last night.

The cyclist, believed to be aged about 30, was hit by a Nissan Primera driven by a Darlington man, close to Middleton St George, near Darlington, on Monday night.

An undamaged mountain bike, covered in Newcastle United Football Club stickers, was discovered nearby.

Despite media appeals, police are no closer to tracing the man's family.

PC Dave Cowey, of Durham Police accident unit, said: "He didn't even have a penny in his pocket. He wasn't wearing any jewellery and there was no clue as to his identity.

"He must have lived alone, otherwise someone would have reported him missing by now. I would have thought that someone would have noticed his absence on New Year's Eve, but we haven't had any calls."

The accident happened at 9.55pm at the junction of the A67 and a minor road leading to Palm Bridge.

The man was described as white, slim, 6ft tall, with shaven ginger hair and blue eyes. He had a gold molar tooth. He was wearing a blue fleece Berghaus jacket, red T-shirt, blue tracksuit bottoms, white rugby shorts and Ellesse shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0191-375-2159.