FIVE people died and four people were injured in a series of car smashes during a weekend of havoc on North Yorkshire's roads.

Two of the dead were motorcyclists, including a woman from Ripon, while three people were killed in a shocking crash on the A59.

The horrific toll comes as North Yorkshire Police steps up its high-profile campaigns to drive down the number of fatal motorbike smashes on the county's roads.

Yesterday, a biker was killed on the busy A169 Pickering to Whitby road, and another driver was seriously injured and had to be cut free from his vehicle.

The accident happened at about 12.50pm when the male motorcyclist's blue and white Suzuki collided with a black Vauxhall Zafira people carrier near the Grosmont turn-off.

A female passenger in the car suffered serious injuries and was taken by helicopter from RAF Leconfield, in Beverley, to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

The male driver suffered minor injuries. Two ambulances and a fire crew attended the scene.

The two days of traffic mayhem began when a green Ford Focus collided with a maroon V-series BMW on the A59 Harrogate to Skipton road.

The accident happened at about 11am on Saturday, at Beamsley Hill, near Skipton.

A man and a woman in the Ford were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. The male driver of the BMW later died, while his female passenger suffered serious injuries.

The second smash happened just hours later on the A65 Keighley to Kendal road, near Ingleton, at about 5.45pm.

A police spokesman said three motorcyclists were travelling towards Kendal and approached the rear of a silver Vauxhall Carlton, which was stationary and waiting to turn right.

The motorcyclist at the back of the group, on a red and white Honda, collided with a red Peugeot car travelling in the opposite direction and was thrown from her bike.

The woman, from the Ripon area, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

The busy A65 was closed for nearly six-and-a-half hours as police accident investigators examined the scene.

In a separate incident yesterday, a female cyclist suffered serious leg injuries in a smash on the A61 between Ripon and the A1 near Melmerby, at about 12.30pm.

The accident happened when the bike, travelling towards Ripon, collided with a silver Volkswagen Passat going in the opposite direction.

The 20-year-old woman, from Ripon, was taken by ambulance to Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton. The car driver, from the Richmond area, was shaken but unhurt.

Police are appealing for witnesses to all four crashes to contact them. Anyone who saw the A169 crash should phone PC Paul Moon on 0845 6060247.

Anyone who saw either the A65 or A59 crash can phone the Skipton road policing team on 01423 539726.

Witnesses to the A61 crash should phone Harrogate road policing team on 01423 539326.