A 21-year-old Easingwold woman, whose car was involved in a crash in which a lorry smashed into a house, was today in a stable condition in York District Hospital.

Abigail Hickman received serious injuries and had to be cut free from her white Toyota Corolla after it collided with an articulated lorry travelling the other direction.

Police have appealed for witnesses to the crash, which nearly ended in disaster for a woman sitting just feet away in a neighbouring house.

Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh has written to Transport Minister Lord Whitty in the wake of yesterday's accident demanding for a bypass for the village to be made a top priority.

The accident happened at about 7am on the A19 at Shipton-by-Beningbrough and closed the road for five hours, leading to huge tailbacks.

The lorry then hit the garage of a house in Main Street.

Lorry driver Brian Matcham, 58, of Middlesbrough, suffered shock but was uninjured.

Villagers who have been campaigning for a bypass for more than 40 years said yesterday's accident made their demands all the more urgent.

At a parish council meeting last night, councillors agreed to put renewed effort into their campaign.

Parish council chairman Tony Huggins said there was a united front in the village.

"This road cuts our village in two and puts our children and senior citizens in danger every time they cross it to get to school or the pub or the post office," he said.

"Everyone totally supports the campaign for the bypass and is wondering what sort of unfortunate accident there will be before we get one."

Miss McIntosh said she too feared there could be another serious or even fatal crash in the village if a bypass were not constructed.

"We need Government money and support on this issue before there is another accident," she said.

A North Yorkshire police spokesman urged anyone who witnessed the crash or either vehicle before the incident to contact PC Clare Sawyer of Northallerton road policing unit on 01609 789212.

The lorry had a yellow cab and green trailer and was heading towards York when it was in head-on collision with the Corolla, which was heading towards Easingwold.