A man has died after a sports supercar crashed into a bus.

The white Audi R8 ploughed into an Arriva bus in Gosforth, near to a fixed speed camera site.

Debris was strewn across the road in the accident, which occurred at the junction of the Great North Road and Moor Crescent in Gosforth at 8.58pm yesterday.

The fire service cut the 39-year-old driver out of the vehicle, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 61-year-old bus driver was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital with minor injuries.

There were no passengers on the out-of-service Arriva single-decker bus.

The Audi R8 is a two-seater sportscar which costs in excess of £75,000 when bought new and is capable of extremely high top speeds.

A woman who works at the nearby Gosforth Hotel said: "We'd had some customers in who had been at another pub and saw the crash.

"They said the driver was cut out but there was nothing the paramedics could do to save them.

She added: "The car hit a bus, it's horrendous, we hope anyone on the bus is OK."

Tony Batty, Head of Operations at Arriva said: "We are aware of an incident between a car and Arriva bus on Gosforth High Street.

"The car driver was killed. Our concerns were for the bus driver and car driver's family.

"The incident involved an out-of-service bus and the driver was taken to hospital."

A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: "At 8.58pm on Sunday a road traffic collision occurred on the B1318 Great North Road in Gosforth at its junction with Moor Crescent.

"A white Audi R8 was in collision with a single decker bus travelling southbound on the same carriageway.

"The 39-year-old driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The 61-year-old male driver of the single decker bus was released from his vehicle by fire and rescue workers and treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary for minor injuries.

"The road was closed for five hours."

Any witnesses to the crash should call Northumbria Police on non-emergency number 101.