MOTORISTS suffered severe delays across York and North Yorkshire as strong winds toppled trucks and scattered roads with trees and debris.

Long tailbacks were generated on York's main arterial routes, including the A59, the A64 between Fulford and Copmanthorpe, and the A19 between York and Selby, as lorries were overturned and trees ripped up.

More minor roads were blocked elsewhere until council engineers and tree surgeons could safely clear away debris to allow traffic to pass through.

The M1, M18, M62 and A1 all suffered major congestion after lane closures caused by overturned vehicles.

At 2.39pm yesterday ambulance crews were called to the A1 at Walshford after a lorry was blown onto its side.

The driver was taken to Harrogate District Hospital suffering from a head injury.

Minutes later another truck overturned on the A1, near the Allerton Park turn off. One injured man was taken to Harrogate District Hospital.

Meanwhile, a lorry driver died when her vehicle was blown from a bridge into a canal on the A629 Skipton bypass in North Yorkshire.

The A59 was temporarily closed at its junction with the A1237 ring road after plastic greenhouse panels were blown all over the road from the Wyvale Garden Centre.

Haxby Road was closed between the Wigginton Road junction and Haley's Terrace at around 1pm after masonry and sheet metal fell from the Aero plant roof of the Nestlé Rowntree factory.

The Al9 at Escrick was also temporarily closed while a huge fallen down tree was cleared away from the grounds of The Parsonage Hotel.

A lorry was earlier blown onto its side further up the A19, near Riccall.

Meanwhile, power cuts affected street lights Fulford Road, the A19/A63 interchange, the A19 towards Selby and the A63 Selby bypass, leaving motorists in the dark.

One driver said: "I've never seen Fulford Road totally blacked out like that before - it was quite eerie.

"It was the same at the Fulford Interchange. The double roundabouts looked strange without any lights."

Meanwhile, there were severe delays on the M62 between Selby and Goole, caused by the strong gusts.