Transport minister Lord Whitty has been called on to act immediately to prevent further deaths on the A64 at Golden Hill near Malton.

Ryedale MP John Greenway's demand for action follows Monday's tragic crash which took the lives of a mother and daughter.

A three-year-old girl and a man also received serious injuries.

Mr Greenway, who said he had been dismayed to learn of the latest fatalities, wants the transport minister to give improved road safety at Huttons Ambo priority over an in-depth study of the A64, which Lord Whitty is currently considering.

He said Monday's accident was all the more tragic because the dangers posed by the stretch of road were widely acknowledged - a previous transport minister agreed in 1996 that alterations to the road layout were needed to improve road safety.

"The frequency of serious accidents and fatalities in this area tells you there must be a problem with the road alignment which encourages driver error," Mr Greenway told the Evening Press.

"We need to have improvements made to the road before there is another serious accident."

Two people died in a head-on crash on the A64 at Golden Hill in 1996, and another two died when a car collided with an articulated lorry in 1999.

In his letter to Lord Whitty, Mr Greenway said: "In the light of these further fatalities, could I ask you please to make clear what you intend to do at the earliest opportunity and indeed to then put in hand the necessary works as a top priority.

"Improving road safety at Huttons Ambo must take precedence over any further in-depth study of the A64 corridor which I know you have in mind."

* A woman was taken to hospital after her car crashed on the A64 near the A19 junction south of York.

Firefighters helped paramedics lift the woman from the car after it collided with the central barrier.

The accident happened at around 6.30pm yesterday, and no other vehicles were involved.