Seven officers injured in crash during A1 pursuit

Seven police officers have been injured in a crash during a pursuit that closed part of the A1 on Tyneside.

The collision with a BMW happened just before 02:30 BST near Denton Burn, Newcastle, Northumbria Police said.

Five police vehicles were involved in the pursuit, with pictures of the crash site showing four marked cars badly damaged - one with its roof off - and a car on its side, with debris scattered across the northbound carriageway.

A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, with a woman, also aged in her 20s, arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting dangerous driving.

The road between Swalwell, in Gateshead, and Denton, Newcastle, has since reopened in both directions after being closed for several hours.

Northumbria Police said officers attempted to stop the BMW in the Whickham area of Gateshead at about 02:00 over "concerns about the manner it was being driven".

It was later sighted in the Swalwell area and a pursuit was "authorised", the force added.

The officers were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and four have been discharged, while two remain for observation and one is being treated for a leg injury.

The two occupants of the BMW were not injured.

Supt Michelle Caisley said work was under way to determine the full circumstances of the crash and asked people "to avoid speculation both online and in the community which could impact the investigation".

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it had not received a referral about the case yet and it was for the force to decide if the incident met the criteria for one.

One resident described the scene as "absolute carnage".

He said: "You could hear a helicopter through the night, it was very strange, I knew something big had happened as I've been stuck in the traffic."

Another resident said she was in "disbelief" at seeing what had happened.

"I live round the corner and at 3am all we could hear was helicopters going around," she said.

"I came down to see the crash this morning and I'm shock, disbelief, I just hope everyone's OK."

At about lunchtime, the damaged vehicles were being lifted on to low loaders and being removed.

A police detection dog was also sent into a black BMW which was wedged between the police cars.

The ambulance service said it had sent five crews, a specialist paramedic, a duty officer and two crews from its Hazardous Area Response Team.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said it sent five appliances from across Newcastle and crews left the scene just before 04:00.

The Great North Air Ambulance Service was also dispatched.

A spokesperson said: "Our team worked alongside the North East Ambulance Service to assess and treat multiple patients."

The crash hit the morning rush hour, with motorists forced to find alternative routes over the River Tyne.

It led to 30 to 40-minute queues over the Redheugh Bridge and about 40-minute delays through the Tyne Tunnel.

BBC Radio Newcastle's Andy Watson said traffic had been "snarled up all morning" and the National Highways had told him the site would take some time to clear.

Labour's Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth said she was being "regularly updated" by the chief constable.

"My thanks go to all the emergency services who attended the scene, and I wish all officers involved a speedy recovery," she said.

Additional reporting by Mark Denten and Rebecca O'Neill.

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