MEDICS say five people travelling in a van were extremely lucky not to have suffered more serious injuries after a van left a road.

The van went off the A690 eastbound between Durham and Carrville at about 5pm last night (Sunday, October 21), rolling several times.

There were five people in the vehicle at the time.

One person was airlifted to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary by Great North Air Ambulance (GNAA) helicopter.

The extent of the injuries to the five people involved remains unclear.

However, a GNAA spokesman said: "All patients in the van were extremely lucky not to have sustained much more serious injuries."

A stretch of the A690 eastbound was closed for several hours following the incident.