A MOTORIST was killed and another person was seriously hurt in a road accident on a major holiday route in North Yorkshire today.

The driver of a blue Vauxhall Astra travelling towards Malton on the A169, between Malton and Pickering, died after the Astra and a white Austin Maestro collided head-on.

The impact forced the Astra off the road and it came to rest in a ditch after the accident, which occurred at about 8am.

The carriageway was blocked in both directions, and debris from the vehicles was scattered up to 50 metres away.

Police set up diversions at points either side of the accident, but traffic soon built up, causing delays on the route, the main coast road to Whitby.

Coaches travelling to the nearby Flamingo Land theme park and zoo were also held up. Police who were dealing with the accident had to restrain a distraught man who was kicking traffic cones at the point where the road was closed near the scene.

A police spokesman said one of the vehicles had been overtaking a horse box when the accident happened, a quarter of a mile east of the Kirkby Misperton turn-off, on the A169.

PC Andy Richardson, of North Yorkshire Police, said the driver of the Astra was pronounced dead at the scene. Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the accident to call Scarborough Police on 01723 500300 with any information.

Police would not say if those involved in the crash were male or female, but an eye-witness at the scene told the Evening Press he believed the Astra driver was a man and the person rescued from the Austin Maestro was female.

A spokesman for Slater's Transport, situated opposite the accident, said his business would be affected as lorries were unable to reach his yard.

An 85-year-old man had to be airlifted to hospital after he was involved in a head-on collision at the bottom of Sutton Bank, near Thirsk. A 48-year-old man was also injured in the accident, involving a red Renault 19 and a red Audi 80, at 6.10pm yesterday.

Updated: 13:05 Saturday, September 01, 2001