POLICE say they now believe that a fatal car crash on the A64 happened in the very early hours of Monday morning.

A 30-year-old woman from Heslington Road, York, Marzena Dajlanaj, was killed when her black Toyota Celica came off the westbound carriageway, near Bilbrough Top, and overturned in a ditch.

The emergency services were not alerted until a driver spotted the vehicle in the ditch just before 8am, and police believed originally that the accident happened only shortly beforehand.

But North Yorkshire Police said today that following extensive enquiries into the incident, officers now believed the collision occurred sometime between 12.45am and 1.15am.

Traffic Sergeant Paul Cording said: “We now believe that this collision occurred in the early hours of Monday morning and I am appealing to anyone who was travelling along the A64 between 12.45am and 1.15am to come forward as soon as possible.

“There may not have been many vehicles around at that time but if were travelling to or from York on the morning in question, please get in touch as you may have information vital to our inquiries.”

Anyone who can help the investigation is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 – select option 2 – and ask for Paul Cording or Gemma Wood.

Please quote reference number NYP-17122012-0060 when passing information about this incident.