A NORMALLY-BUSY stretch of road was closed to traffic on Wednesday (April 16) morning, after a water tanker toppled over and came to rest on its side.

The incident happened on the A66, at its junction with the B6279, on the outskirts of Darlington, at about 5.30am.

A tanker carrying water was the only vehicle involved in the collision.

The driver was originally feared to have been trapped in his cab, but was out by the time police arrived at the scene.

Sgt Phil Grieve, of Durham Police's road policing unit, said there was no reports of any serious injuries.

The eastbound A66 is closed between the junction with the B6279 and Great Burdon and is expected to remain so for much of the morning.

The westbound carriageway remains open.

Sgt Grieve said the closure is in place because of the logistics of moving a vehicle of this size.

As the vehicle was carrying water, there are no concerns about the leaking of potentially hazardous material.