A man charged with causing the deaths of three cyclists has appeared before a magistrates at a court in Northumberland.

Andrew Armstrong, 36, of Seaton Sluice, was remanded in custody for a week after being refused bail.

He faces three counts of causing death by reckless driving. Mr Armstrong is also charged with driving whilst over the legal alcohol limit.

Henry Bryan Harrison, 38, his brother Alan Harrison, 33, and their brother-in-law Donald Arthur Smith, 49, died on the outskirts of Blyth on Saturday afternoon when a Ford Mondeo struck them. They all lived in the local area.

The one surviving cyclist, Ray Walls, 25, also from Blyth, suffered a broken leg. He is recovering in Wansbeck General Hospital.

The A193 narrows from a dual to a single carriageway

The accident happened on the A193 along the coast between Blyth and Seaton Sluice where the road narrows from a dual to a single carriageway.

Peter Harrison, the brother of Bryan and Alan, says the whole family are devastated. "This is just a nightmare.

"We are a very close knit family, we lived in each other's pockets and saw each other every day," he said.

"We have told David. He understands his father isn't coming back and won't be here this Christmas."

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