Detectives sealed off a large part of Darlington today following the discovery of a badly injured man.

The man, with what officers described as serious injuries, was discovered on West Auckland Road in the Cockerton area of the town this morning.

Officers sealed off the road between the Brown Trout pub and Cockerton roundabout causing serious traffic hold-ups as teams of forensic officers moved in and combed the area for clues.

Police declined to release any further details on the man's condition but an incident room has been set up near the scene.