Residents have called for action to be taken over a treacherous stretch of road after a taxi passenger was killed in a crash early this morning.

The appeal came after the taxi left the road and smashed through a brick bus shelter on the western edge of Dipton, County Durham, at about 4.30am.

Stephen Spence, who lives yards from the crash, said last night: "Only a few months ago man was seriously hurt when he was thrown from a car that had crashed and landed inside our front gate.

"This is latest a series of crashes on this stretch of road. It is an accident blackspot.

"We have an ongoing fear that someone is going to arrive through our front window.

"The road should either be straightened or highway chiefs should look again at the possibility of a bypass for Dipton."

A police spokesman said the taxi was heading toward Consett from Newcastle on the A692 in Dipton with one passenger, a man, sitting in the rear of the vehicle between 4.30 and 4.45am.

He said: "The driver appears to have lost control of the taxi as it came around a bend and collided with a brick bus shelter.

"As a result the passenger sustained fatal injuries. He was declared dead at the scene.

"The victim has not been positively identified, though he is thought to be in his 20s.

"The road was closed for three hours as a result of the accident.

"The driver who suffered serious leg injuries was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham.

Mr Spence of Pontop said: "We heard the bang but it is not unusual.

"There have been an awful lot of accidents along this stretch of road, between the edge of the village and the junction with the A693.

"There are a number of S bends and the road can get very wet or icy and cars can go a little bit too fast."

Police have appealed to anyone who may have been on the road at the time, who either saw the collision itself or seen the taxi driven along that stretch of carriageway, to contact the accident investigation unit on 0191-375 2159.