THE New Year is just five days old and already Northern Ireland’s roads have claimed its first victim.

Police say a pensioner who was injured in a car crash in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, at the weekend has since died.

The man, who was in his 80s, was hurt in the two-car crash on the Mallusk Road at about 11.45 am on Sunday.

He died in hospital on Monday, a police spokesman said.

Insp Alexander Johnston appealed to anyone who witnessed the collision to contact police on the non-emergency number 101.

Last year, 79 people were killed on the province’s roads despite high profile television campaigns aimed at trying to stem the tide of deaths.