Willington fatal car fire 'not caused by mechanical defect'

The driver's body was found inside the vehicle in the former mining village of Willington, County Durham

A car fire in which a woman died was not caused by a mechanical defect, investigators have confirmed.

Firefighters were called to the A690, at the junction of Willington High Street and Stony Bank, Country Durham, at 13:45 BST on Monday.

They discovered the body of the driver inside the vehicle.

A joint investigation is being carried out by police and the fire service into the cause of the blaze, which is "likely to take some time".

There were no passengers inside the vehicle.

Any witnesses have been asked to contact police.