A man has died following a two-vehicle crash in west Cumbria.

The A594 Cockermouth to Maryport road was closed for almost eight hours as a result of the accident.

A 66-year-old man from west Cumbria died at the scene. He has not yet been named.

He was driving a grey Nissan Micra car which was in collision with a Ford Mondeo at about 7.20pm last night.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Specialist police officers are supporting his family.

The driver of the Ford Mondeo, a 27-year-old local man and his 17-year-old passenger were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Police accident investigators were at the scene for several hours, working through the night to identify what happened.

The road reopened at 3.17am this morning after the scene was cleared.

A police vehicle was parked across the road at the Belle Vue roundabout, near Cockermouth, blocking access.

Fire and ambulance were also at the scene. It was initially reported that a man was trapped inside the Micra.

Police are appealing for witnesses and are particularly keen to speak to a wagon driver. A spokesman said: "At this time Police are attempting to identify the driver of a heavy goods vehicle who was in the locality at the time of the collision and who we believe may be able to provide valuable witness evidence."

Call PC2090 Craig Hynes of Cumbria Mobile Support Group on 101.