FOUR people were hurt when two cars crashed on a major North-East road.

The accident happened on the A19 Hylton Bridge, at Sunderland, at 7.30pm on Sunday.

A Renault 5 hit the central barrier and rebounded into the offside lane, where it stopped with its lights knocked out.

A Toyota Corolla then collided with the Renault and travelled across the road, on to the hard shoulder.

The Renault driver, a 29-year-old woman, her male front seat passenger, the 66-year-old Toyota driver and his 68-year-old woman passenger were all taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital.

All four, from Sunderland, were admitted for treatment but their injuries were not life-threatening.

The A19 northbound was closed for four hours to allow an inspection by accident investigators. Witnesses can call police on 0191-454 7555