A motorist has died after his car was hit by a stolen vehicle pursued by police that flipped over a motorway barrier, Durham Constabulary said on Friday.
The man was seriously injured and died at the scene, at the Bowburn interchange, near Durham city.
The driver of the stolen car, a Mitsubishi, was also injured and taken to hospital for surgery.
Traffic officers supported by a police helicopter had pursued the Mitsubishi onto the A1(M) motorway.
"A controlled attempt was being made to bring the car to a halt when, in an attempt to avoid this, the Mitsubishi hit the central reservation and flipped onto the southbound carriageway hitting an oncoming Peugeot car," a police spokesman said.
He said officers involved in the attempt to stop the car were "badly shocked".
Police have referred the incident, which occurred at around 5:40 a.m., to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
The motorway was closed in both directions after the accident.
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