POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a collision on the A24 which left several people injured.

Emergency services were called to the southbound slip road from the road in Ashington at around 3.50pm following a collision between a car and a bus.

The bus then erupted in flames, with fire crews fighting to tackle the blaze.

The driver of the bus and eight passengers suffered minor injuries, which were addressed at the scene - with one taken to hospital for treatment.

The passenger in the car, a 40-year-old woman, was seriously injured, with the driver - a man in his 50s, suffering minor injuries.

Both were taken to hospital for treatment.

PC Steve Lambeth from the Roads Policing Unit said: “We are keen to hear from any witnesses to this collision, or anyone with dashcam footage of either a grey BMW 430i, or the number 23 Metrobus, prior to the collision. 

“Both would have been travelling south on the A24.

“I would also like to thank the members of the public who stopped at the scene to help the injured passengers before the ambulance service arrived, and staff from the local M&S fuel station who provided cold drinks to those involved during the scorching heat.”

The Argus: The bus was left completely gutted by the blazeThe bus was left completely gutted by the blaze

The slip road remains closed to be resurfaced after being severely damaged in the fire.

Managing director of Metrobus Ed Wills said: “An incident took place on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 3.45pm in Ashington on the A24 when a car collided with one of our buses.

“The driver successfully evacuated all passengers from the bus and moved them to a safe area as the emergency services attended the scene.

“The police are currently investigating the incident.”