A motorist has died after his car was hit by a stolen vehicle pursued by police that flipped over a motorway barrier, Durham Constabulary said on Friday.

The man was seriously injured and died at the scene, at the Bowburn interchange, near Durham city.

The driver of the stolen car, a Mitsubishi, was also injured and taken to hospital for surgery.

Traffic officers supported by a police helicopter had pursued the Mitsubishi onto the A1(M) motorway.

"A controlled attempt was being made to bring the car to a halt when, in an attempt to avoid this, the Mitsubishi hit the central reservation and flipped onto the southbound carriageway hitting an oncoming Peugeot car," a police spokesman said.

He said officers involved in the attempt to stop the car were "badly shocked".

Police have referred the incident, which occurred at around 5:40 a.m., to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The motorway was closed in both directions after the accident.