A RESIDENT came to the rescue of a bus which was in danger of sliding down an icy road into a line of traffic this morning.

The bus became stuck on the bank at Woodhouse Lane in Bishop Auckland, County Durham just after 9.05am.

Black ice on the road meant that the bus was stranded, so the driver evacuated his passengers.

However the road was also being used as a diversion after a minor accident caused by black ice on Proudfoot Drive in the town.

A queue of traffic had formed behind the bus and the driver was scared to release the brake in case the vehicle slid back into waiting motorists.

Before emergency services could arrive, a nearby resident spread some grit on the road - melting the ice and allowing the bus to pull away safely.

Later in the morning, at about 9.45am, the icy conditions were to blame for an accident involving a Ford Fiesta and a silver panel van near South Church Enterprise Park. Nobody was injured in the accident although the Fiesta had to be towed away and the road was closed for a short time.