Dad died after being hit by taxi on New Year's Eve

We're appealing for witnesses after a man died in a road accident late on New Year’s Eve.

Leslie Hebdon, 38, was in the street when he was hit by a taxi - a white Nissan Qashqai - at around 11.30pm on December 31.

The taxi had dropped off a fare at the Gala Theatre in Durham and was travelling up the bank towards Spennymoor on its way back to the taxi office in Bishop Auckland.

Mr Hebdon, from Spennymoor, was on Front Street in Tudhoe when the collision took place near the junction with St David’s Close.

He suffered multiple injuries and was confirmed dead at the scene.

The driver of the Qashqai, a man from Bishop Auckland was uninjured.

Mr Hebdon, who was known to friends and family as Les, was father to two sons and a daughter, Jordan, aged 20, Sasha, who is 16 and 13-year-old Alex.

He had started work in the last few months for a company called Knowhow, which is part of Currys, based at their depot in Spennymoor.

A tribute from his sister, Jane Sapsed on behalf of the family described Les as; “A beloved son, dad and brother who was tragically taken from us on New Year’s Eve. He is gone, but will never be forgotten.”

Anybody with any information is asked to contact the collision investigation unit on 0191 3752159 or Durham Police on the non-emergency number 101.