Pedestrian dies after being hit by car on A1052

Matthew Carty worked as a postman

A pedestrian has died after being struck by a car in County Durham.

Matthew Carty was hit on the A1052 at the junction with Woodstone Village at 02:15 GMT on Sunday by a vehicle travelling from Bournmoor towards Fencehouses.

The 36-year-old, of Lambton, Washington, died in hospital.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, but one of them, a 36-year-old woman was later released under investigation.

Police said the other, a 39-year-old man, was taken to hospital while inquiries continued.

Mr Carty worked as a postman in the Houghton-le-Spring and Sunderland areas.

In a statement, his family said: "Matty was kind-hearted, always smiling, always trying to cheer people up.

"He would often be singing - a lot of the time he sang silly songs and would often be singing at work.

"He was just amazing. We will miss him so much."