A CAMPAIGN to boost safety on the A19 in North Yorkshire - prompted by the death of an 83-year-old woman - is making huge progress, two MPs have revealed.

Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake and Richmond MP Rishi Sunak said they had held a virtual meeting with Highways England (HE) officials to review efforts to reduce the number of accidents caused by the many access junctions and gaps in the central reservation on the dual carriageway north of Thirsk.

The MPs said their campaign has already secured the closure of one gap, at Stony Lane, near Osmotherley, and work was due to be complete on a new access for Mount Grace Priory which closed the reservation gap and introduced acceleration and deceleration lanes.

They said HE was drawing up detailed proposals for other junctions ranging from further gap closures to better signing and road markings, with any individual proposal subject to discussion with local residents, farms and businesses.

Mr Hollinrake said their campaign was prompted by the death of Sonia Rose, of Carlton Miniott, near Thirsk, who was killed at Stony Lane when a vehicle strayed across the gap and crashed head-on into her car.

"While this work will necessarily be done over a number of years, its completion will be a fitting memorial to Mrs Rose," he added.