DAZZLING morning sunshine may have contributed to a spate of traffic accidents in County Durham yesterday.

In the space of one hour there were four separate accidents on the southbound carriageway of the A19.

The first accident involved a heavy goods lorry and two cars near Seaham, in mid-morning.

The crash blocked the outside lane, causing some delays.

Two other incidents happened in the tailback, as the traffic was slowing down.

One accident involved a car and a lorry and the other was between a car and a van, one of which burst into flames.

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: "The way the accidents happened suggests that the sun might have played a part.

"It seems that drivers were struggling to see because it was a bright morning and the sun was shining directly into the eyes of motorists."

A fourth, unconnected accident happened on the A19, near Sheraton, on the road towards Hartlepool. Emergency services moved quickly to clear the road by midday.

No one was badly hurt in any of the accidents, with only minor injuries being reported.