A MOTORIST escaped with minor injuries when his car came off the A64 near York and ended up on its side in a ditch.

Police said the single-vehicle accident, involving a black Vauxhall Corsa, happened at about 6.30am yesterday on the eastbound carriageway near York Racecourse.

The vehicle came to rest facing in the wrong direction and against a tree, with its roof damaged and windscreen shattered.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said the male driver managed to climb out of the vehicle and walk to a property to seek help. He said the cause of the accident was being investigated.

The accident comes less than a fortnight after a car on the westbound carriageway near Bilbrough Top crashed into a ditch, killing its 30-yearold female driver.