Motorists were warned to take care on Yorkshire's icy roads today after a spate of accidents caused by the hostile weather conditions.

The worst was a collision between a bus and a car which left three people in hospital.

The accident took place on a notorious stretch of the A19 at Crockey Hill, near Escrick.

Ambulances from Selby and York were called to the scene and two women, one believe to be aged 40 and the other 17, were treated by paramedics for back injuries before being taken to York District Hospital.

A 63-year-old man, who is believed to have been a passenger on the single-decker Arriva bus, was also taken to hospital.

The road was blocked for some time after the crash, which happened at 11.15am.

Other minor injuries were experienced by motorists as roads became covered in ice, and rain, sleet, hail and even snow lashed the region higher.

A woman was taken to hospital with leg injuries after her car skidded on black ice and went into a ditch in Tollerton Road, Huby.

A lorry driver suffered a black eye in a bump between his vehicle and another lorry near Skipton and five cars crashed on the A65 near Harrogate.

Today's top temperature was forecast to reach only 5C (41F), with a northerly wind of 15-20mph and weathermen predicted a bitterly cold weekend with some snow showers.

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