Three men had an amazing escape when two heavy lorries collided in a near-catastrophic road crash.

None of the three - a motorcyclist and the two HGV drivers - was seriously hurt in the accident which caused traffic chaos on the A64.

Both lorries shed their loads on to the road, and one slid a quarter of a mile down the hill, coming to rest on the bridge at Crambeck, near Malton.

The motorcyclist was knocked off his bike, but miraculously, he was not seriously injured.

The crash sparked immediate calls from nearby villagers for safety improvements near the site four miles north of Malton.

Crambeck resident Julie Hughes was driving along the A64 when the accident happened, with her three-year-old daughter, Lauren, in the car.

She said: "It was pretty frightening - we could see the lorry sliding down the hill towards us, so we braked and thankfully there was another lorry in front which blocked the road.

"I do think some sort of safety improvements should be made - a cut in the speed limit would be a start, as would a warning that residents are trying to turn into the village. It is a bottleneck there, traffic builds up and it can be very dangerous," Ms Hughes added.

Neighbour and retired nurse Christine Irving heard the crash and ran out to help.

She said: "The bang was very loud indeed, and I saw a huge cloud in the air and smelt a woody smell. The driver had quite a bit of blood on his face, but it looked a lot worse than it was and so when I cleaned him up he looked OK."

Christine also feels the answer to the A64's safety problems lies in speed restrictions.

She said: "I would like to see the limit cut to 50. It has worked in other places and it could work here - if properly enforced."

After the crash, Ryedale was plunged into traffic chaos while the road was closed and police did their best to run diversions.

A squad of motorcycle policemen tried to keep the jams moving, but tailbacks of several miles built up through Malton and out as far as Rillington.

Anyone with any information about the crash should ring the police on 01653 692424.

Meanwhile, an elderly woman was taken to hospital after her car overturned outside Norton Post Office, on Beverley Road, just before 2.30pm.

Traffic Constable Nick Skelton said: "The driver has clipped a parked car and overturned. She has suffered minor injuries, and the circumstances are under investigation."

* The woman killed in Sunday's crash on the A19 near Selby has been named as Natalie Mawby Ann Robson, aged 62, of Leeds Road, Selby.

The two-car crash happened at the junction of the A10 with the southerly entrance to Riccall.

Her husband, Dr Alan Robson, a retired GP, is still in York District Hospital where police said he was "critically ill".