A DRIVING instructor is in a critical condition in hospital after being injured in a crash during a lesson.

The 49-year-old suffered serious chest injuries when the car, driven by a teenage learner driver, was involved in a collision at a junction.

The accident happened on the B6301 Hedleyhill Lane between Lanchester and Cornsay Colliery, in County Durham, at around 3.30pm on Wednesday.

The black Ford Fiesta Zetec was turning right on Front Street, in the area known locally as Wilkes Hill, when it was involved in a collision with a white Mazda CX-7 heading in the opposite direction.

The 18-year-old learner driver, from Ebchester, suffered abdominal injuries and was detained overnight in the University Hospital of North Durham but is expected to be released after treatment.

However, the driving instructor, from the Castleside area, suffered serious chest injuries. An air ambulance doctor performed chest surgery on him at the scene and he was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where tonight he was described as being in a critical, but stable condition.

The driver of the Mazda, a 33-year-old woman from Bishop Auckland, suffered whiplash.

The road was closed for more than three hours while the wreckage was removed and accident investigators carried out their work.

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the crash, or saw either vehicle in the moments before, to call them on the non-emergency number 101.