A WOMAN was taken to hospital by helicopter after she was cut free from a car after a crash.

The 34-year-old, from Consett, was driving a Ford Focus with a 40-year-old man and a one-year-old baby.

The smash, with a VW Golf, happened at around 5.45pm on Monday on the A693 at Annfield Plain.

The woman was flown to the RVI in Newcastle, while her passengers were taken to the University Hospital of North Durham.

All suffered minor injuries. The Golf driver, a 29-year-old man from Crookhall, near Consett, was not injured.

The road was closed for an hour-and-a-half while emergency service made the area safe.

An investigation is underway into the cause of the collision.

Anyone with information can call the police non-emergency number 0845-60-60-365.