Two die as taxi crashes into tree

Two men have died after a taxi left the road and hit a tree in Northumberland.

Police said the crash happened on the A68 northbound at Beukley Bank, near Hexham, in the early hours of Sunday.

Taxi driver Jaffir Uddin Ahmed, 47, from Newcastle, and his passenger Robert Robson, 29, from Bellingham, Northumberland, died at the scene.

An investigation is under way into what caused the Peugeot 406 taxi to veer off the road. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

The road was closed for more than four hours following the accident.