THE same old bottlenecks - this was the picture of motoring misery that confronted drivers on North Yorkshire's Bank Holiday congested roads.

Police deployed motorbikes to weave in and out of queuing traffic as York-bound vehicles backed up to the Jinnah restaurant at Flaxton and even up Whitwell-on-the-Hill on the A64 - about 14 miles from York.

The sheer volume of holidaymakers returning home, particularly from the North Yorkshire coast, was blamed for the problems - which police said came as no surprise.

PC Gareth Gilleard said: "Monday was no different to any other Bank Holiday. We had all the usual problems, with the same old bottlenecks."

By 10.30am yesterday, westbound traffic was stationary around the Malton bypass and the Broughton Rise flyover, and the situation improved little throughout the day.

PC Gilleard, a traffic constable based at North Yorkshire Police's road policing group in Malton, said: "Traffic going into York on the A64 was backed up to the Jinnah restaurant and Whitwell-on-the-Hill over the day."

But he said the A64 in the eastbound direction remained relatively clear.

South of York, there were problems on the A64, where stop-start traffic began to build up as early as 10am.

There were also long queues on the A59 as holidaymakers returned home after enjoying the Easter sunshine to the north.

A police spokesman said there had been no reports of any accidents, and put the queues down to the "sheer number vehicles on the road".

Last week the Evening Press revealed that work to "dual" the A64 York to Scarborough road will not begin until 2016 at the very earliest.

Disappointed campaigners said a dual carriageway A64 was "vitally important" for the region, particularly over the summer months. Ryedale MP John Greenway said: "I cannot believe there can be a road that is worse within the Yorkshire region."

Updated: 09:22 Tuesday, April 18, 2006