AT LEAST two people are believed to have died when a car and two heavy goods vehicles were caught up in an horrific crash in East Yorkshire this afternoon.

Police said tragedy struck after a rigid Leyland lorry and a Skoda car slowed down at a set of traffic-light-controlled roadworks near the Steer Inn on the A1079 at Wilberfoss near Pocklington, at 12.19pm.

Traffic had been reduced to one lane and Inspector Steve Anderson of Humberside Police said it was thought that another articulated lorry failed to slow down and hit the car, pushing it into the Leyland lorry.

A spokeswoman from the ambulance service said that two people, who were in the car travelling towards York, were believed to have died in the accident, although this number has not yet been confirmed.

The drivers of the two lorries were both taken to York Hospital suffering from shock and minor injuries.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance attended the accident along with two ambulances from Pocklington and York.

Three fire engines from Humberside Fire Service were at the scene and firefighters were using hydraulic cutting equipment on the car. Between ten and 15 police vehicles were also believed to be at the crash scene.

Charlotte Booth, of the Steer Inn, which is near the scene of the crash, said that the road had been closed while the emergency crews dealt with the accident.

She said that traffic from York could not get to Wilberfoss on the A1079, and traffic travelling towards York was being diverted to Newton-on-Derwent.

Nanny Vanessa Simmons, who drove near the accident on her way to work in Pocklington, said: "I have seen accidents on this stretch of road before but I have never seen so many emergency vehicles for an accident. It looks very severe."

This afternoon it was predicted that the road would be likely to remain closed until 7.30pm tonight.

Ten years ago a bus driver and a pupil died and more than 50 other pupils from Woldgate School in Pocklington were injured when a double decker bus, a lorry and a car collided on the A1079 at Wilberfoss.

Inspector Steve Anderson of Humberside Police said: "We need to know why the articulated lorry failed to slow down, we would like to make an appeal to witnesses who might have been travelling in both directions through the road works."

Anyone with information should contact Humberside Police on 01482 326111.

Full coverage of this story will be available in Tuesday's Evening Press.

Updated: 17:19 Monday, May 12, 2003