A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following a crash that has claimed the life of a woman in Horden.
Emergency services were called at around 4pm on Saturday to a crash on the A1086, Thorpe Road, involving a blue Ford Focus and a red Mercedes C220 which were travelling in opposite directions.
A woman in her 60s, who was driving the Ford Focus, suffered fatal injuries as a result of the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Mercedes - a 43-year-old local man - has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He remains in police custody.
The road was closed for around eight hours by police while an investigation was carried out at the scene of the collision.
Officers are now keen to trace the driver of a black coloured Vauxhall type van which, although not involved in the collision, is believed to be a key witness.
Anyone who witnessed the collision, or has any information that could assist the investigation, is asked to call Durham Constabulary on 101, quoting incident number 241 of February 6.
