Two drivers walked away miraculously unscathed after their cars caught fire following a four-vehicle smash at a notorious A64 accident blackspot between York and Tadcaster.

The crash happened at the infamous gap at Bilbrough Top when a car, which had just used the gap to make a U-turn, was shunted from behind by another vehicle into the barrier.

The driver of the first car, Stefan Durkin, told the Evening Press that he had a gas canister in the back of his car which exploded following the accident, setting the cars on fire.

At the scene, he said: "I can't believe how quickly the fire started. I looked behind me and saw the fire coming and I thought 'it's time to get out'."

The crash happened yesterday evening after Mr Durkin, driving a Volvo 460, had just dropped a friend off at Askham Bryan College and was driving along the westbound carriageway looking for somewhere to turn round.

He said he saw another car use the gap opposite McDonalds to do a U-turn and thought he would do the same, driving on to the eastbound carriageway.

"(Having crossed the gap) I couldn't get enough speed up in time and a car went into me from behind and I went into the barrier," said Mr Durkin, from Wolver-hampton.

Two other cars were only slightly damaged after getting caught up in the same accident.

"I just can't believe everyone got out without a scratch," Mr Durkin added.

A spokesman for Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirmed there were no injuries in the accident.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said appliances from York and Tadcaster were dispatched to the scene after receiving an emergency call at 7.20pm last night.

He described the two vehicles as "well alight".

Queues of traffic stretched back for miles following the accident as the fire service extinguished the blaze and police removed the wrecked cars.

It was not until after 9pm that the A64 at Bilbrough Top was back to normal again.