Gritters took to the streets of York and the lanes of North Yorkshire today to combat the effects of the latest cold spell.

Ray Chaplin, acting senior engineering consultant with City of York Council, said eight lorries gritted a network of roads throughout the city last night as a precaution after they received forecasts that dew would freeze during the night.

He added that as a result there was no need for any further gritting this morning. The gritters first went out about a week ago. One woman was taken to hospital after her car overturned on a slippery back road off the A19 near Shipton-by-Beningbrough. Ambulance crews said ice may have contributed to the crash.

Near Whitby, there were two minor accidents blamed on the conditions and police erected "go slow" signs and called in gritters to deal with parts of the A171.

Ice was also thought to be the reason for a red Honda Civic crashing at Wharram-le-Street, near Malton. The driver, Katherine Ashton, of Malton, suffered minor injuries. Patches of freezing fog in the Vale of York tonight will follow temperatures dipping to about minus 5C.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.