Police vehicles badly damaged in major collision which shut the A1
Crash investigators have been sent to the scene of the pile-up near Denton, Newcastle.
A major crash involving a number of police cars has shut the A1 on Tyneside, leading to long delays.
Five people were taken to hospital following the early morning crash, the North East Ambulance Service said.
Images from the scene near Denton, Newcastle, show four marked police vehicles badly damaged, a car on its side, and debris scattered across the northbound carriageway.
One of the police vehicles had its roof torn off.
Crash investigators have been sent to the scene of the pile-up, which happened at around 2.30am on Wednesday.
National Highways said the A1 will be closed between Swalwell in Gateshead and Denton in both directions into Wednesday afternoon.
It said: “A multi-vehicle collision resulting in serious injuries occurred at approximately 2.30am this morning.
“Due to the severity of the collision, a full Northumbria Police investigation is under way and they advise that it will be protracted.
“The road is expected to remain closed in both directions into the afternoon of Wednesday April 9.”
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Shortly before 2.30am today, we received a report of a multi-vehicle collision on the A1 northbound near the Derwenthaugh Road junction, Gateshead.
“Emergency services are currently in attendance.
“A section of the road is closed in both directions – there are diversions in place from the Derwenthaugh Road junction northbound, and the A69 roundabout southbound.
“Motorists should use alternative routes where possible.”
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We received a call at 2.29am on Wednesday April 9 to reports of a road traffic collision on the A1 northbound near Denton, Newcastle.
“We dispatched five ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a duty officer, two crews from our hazardous area response team and requested support from our colleagues at the Great North Air Ambulance Service who attended by road.
“Five patients were transported to hospital for further treatment.”
Long after the crash, blue lights continued to flash on an unmarked police car which was crushed against the central reservation barrier.
A police detection dog was sent in to a black BMW which was wedged between the marked police cars.
The process of removing the damaged vehicles and lifting them on to low loaders was under way by lunchtime.
The collision happened on the A1 carriageway below the roundabout where crazed gunman Raoul Moat shot Pc David Rathband, leaving him blind, in 2010.
