Recovery across the city of Sunderland
Sunderland is larger and more spread out than many people expect. The city stretches from Seaburn and Roker on the coast to Doxford Park and Silksworth in the south west, with the River Wear running through the middle. Getting help to the right place depends on knowing which side of the river you're on.
Tyne Road Rescue covers Sunderland and its surrounding areas 24 hours a day, every day. Although we're based around Newcastle, we regularly work on Wearside, recovering cars and vans, sorting flat batteries, and moving vehicles to garages and homes. Our recovery services page lists everything we offer.
River crossings: Wearmouth Bridge, Queen Alexandra Bridge and the Northern Spire
The Wear divides the city, and its bridges are where traffic bunches up. Wearmouth Bridge carries traffic through the city centre, the Queen Alexandra Bridge links Pallion and Southwick, and the Northern Spire carries the A1231 further upstream.
A breakdown on a bridge is unsettling because there is nowhere to pull in. Hazard lights on, and if it is safe, get out on the pavement side and move off the bridge on foot. If you're blocking a lane and it isn't safe to get out, call 999 first. Once you're safe, ring us with which bridge, which direction and the lane you're in.
The A19, A1231, A690 and the coast road
The A19 runs along the western side of the city, carrying traffic between Teesside and the Tyne Tunnel. It is fast and busy, and breakdowns near the junctions are common. The A1231 links the A19 to Washington and the A1(M), while the A690 runs south west towards Houghton-le-Spring and Durham.
The A183 follows the coast through Roker and Seaburn and north towards Whitburn and South Shields. On sunny days, traffic on the seafront slows to a crawl, and cars parked there for hours sometimes refuse to start. The A1018 and A1231 also feed traffic in and out of the city centre.
On the A19, the same rules apply as on any fast dual carriageway. Get onto the verge or a slip road if you can, put your hazards on and wait well away from passing traffic, behind a barrier if there is one. Don't try to change a wheel or look under the bonnet with lorries passing close by.
Terraces, seafront parking and home starts
Much of Sunderland's housing is terraced, with on-street parking and back lanes. That can make loading a car awkward, especially if it is wedged between other vehicles. Tell us how it is parked and whether there's space in front or behind.
If your car won't start at home, a home start visit may solve the problem without a tow. If it needs a garage, we'll recover it and take it wherever you choose. Match days near the Stadium of Light can make streets busier than usual, so let us know if that might affect access.
Getting a vehicle from Sunderland to Tyneside or beyond
We often move vehicles from Sunderland to garages and dealers in Washington, Gateshead and Newcastle, and back again. We also collect from auction sites when asked (no official partnership is implied). For anything further, our long-distance vehicle transport service can help.
What happens after you call
We'll ask where you are, what you drive, what happened and where you'd like the vehicle taken. We'll give you an honest estimate of arrival, which depends on location, traffic and current workload. Because Sunderland is a little further out, it's worth calling as early as you can.
The price depends on distance, vehicle and the work involved, and we confirm it before we set off. You can also get in touch through our contact page. For the area to the west, see our Washington recovery page.