Car collision claims third victim

A third person has died a week after a head-on collision between a taxi and a car on a County Durham road.

Taxi driver Michael Stewart, 39, and one of his passengers, Michael Murray, 53, died in the collision on the A692 on the outskirts of Consett on 22 May.

Mr Murray's wife Margaret, 53, from the Castleside area of Consett, was seriously injured in the crash and died in hospital on Sunday afternoon.

Another passenger in the taxi and the driver of the other car were also hurt.

The third taxi passenger, a 55-year-old man from Consett, is still in a critical condition in hospital.

The driver of the other car, a 26-year-old Consett man, was released from hospital over the weekend after he was treated for a head injury.

The Newcastle coroner has been informed of the death of Mrs Murray, who worked as a carer for people with learning difficulties, and an inquest is due to be held.