A YOUNG driver who was killed when his car came off a main road near York and crashed into a tree has today been named.

The 22-year-old victim of the horrific smash in the early hours of Thursday is 22-year-old John Ray Wigglesworth, who is from the Pontefract area and was heading to York to visit his girlfriend when he died.

The tragedy is believed to have happened shortly after 2.20am on Thursday when the grey Toyota Aygo Mr Wigglesworth was driving left the eastbound carriageway of the A64 near the junction with Colton Lane between York and Tadcaster.

It landed in a ditch near Bilbrough Top, with the wreckage not being discovered until 4.50am two-and-a-half hours after the car was last seen leaving the A1 and joining the A64 several miles away at Bramham when a cyclist on his way to work along a nearby path raised the alarm.

The A64 eastbound was closed for five hours between Bramham and Copmanthorpe, causing gridlock chaos for thousands of motorists as they were diverted along alternative routes.

An inquest into Mr Wigglesworth's death was opened and adjourned in Selby today by North Yorkshire coroner Geoff Fell.

Police are still trying to discover how the crash happened and are appealing for anybody who saw the Toyota Aygo between 2.20am and 4.50am on Thursday to call Traffic Sergeant Les Moorhouse on 0845 6060247.