POLICE officers took to the streets of York in a high-profile operation at the weekend to try to uncover fresh evidence into the tragic death of a father of three.

Dozens of nightclubbers, motorists and drinkers were questioned by officers investigating the death of Halifax father-of-two Andrew Hickox.

The operation took place exactly seven days after the 42-year-old was found with serious head injuries in Lower Friargate. He died on Thursday without regaining consciousness. Detective Sergeant John Roberts, who is heading the investigation, said the two-hour operation was valuable, but no single lead of "great significance" had so far been found.

But he said that officers would continue to sift through the new intelligence over the next few days.

"The aim of the exercise was to try to identify witnesses and obviously vehicles that may have been travelling in the area at the time to eliminate them.

"We had a highly-visible presence to enable anybody who had information to come forward and tell us what they knew," he said.

Officers set up road checks in Clifford Street, Lower Friargate and Spurriergate while teams of police quizzed passers-by in the busy High Ousegate area.

The Clifford Street area of town is at the centre of York's nightlife district with late-night opening pubs, clubs as well as take-away restaurants and burger bars.

Detectives are hopeful that someone would have seen Mr Hickox after he left Yates's Wine Lodge at about 1am last Sunday. He was found only minutes later in Lower Friargate with a fractured skull.

Police announced last week that they believe a hit-and-run driver was responsible for the injury, but they have not ruled out the possibility of an assault. Taxi firms have been given a questionnaire asking drivers if they saw anything or were in the area at that time. Lower Friargate is a quiet one-way street that runs behind the Gallery nightclub.

Anyone who was in the King Street, Clifford Street or Lower Friargate area between 12.30am and 1.30am last Sunday is asked to phone the incident room on 01904 618503.

Updated: 10:22 Monday, July 28, 2003