PROFESSIONALS from the emergency services put their heads together during a road crash training day.

Crews from County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, the North-East Ambulance Service and Durham Constabulary, were at Spennymoor Fire Station on Saturday.

The event allowed the participants to practise techniques in a scenario they often face in real life - where the emergency services are called out together.

Andrew Whitehead, assistant district manager for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The training day provided an opportunity to practise the potentially life-saving skills required by firefighters and ambulance personnel at the scene of a road traffic collision.

"It also provided an opportunity to develop the excellent working relationship between the three agencies".

David Turnbull, community safety strategic manager for the fire service, said: "We are now called upon to rescue more people from road traffic collisions than from fires.

"In the last 12 months, the service has attended 500 such incidents.

"All of the emergency services have to deal with the aftermath of these incidents and the impact they have on our communities on a daily basis."