THE victims of road accidents on North Yorkshire's roads were remembered in a moving service dedicated to their memory held at Ripon Cathedral.

The Oak Leaf service, held yesterday afternoon, was replicated in churches across the country, where relatives and friends gathered together to remember those who had died.

Candles were lit and readings said by representatives from the emergency services, civic dignitaries and a nurse from the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, before relatives were invited to place oak leaf-shaped pieces of paper bearing the names of their loved ones on the altar.

One of the organisers of North Yorkshire's service was cathedral chaplain John Moss.

He said: "One of the saddest things about this service has been the number of people who have died on North Yorkshire's roads as we have planned the service over the last two weeks. It is very poignant."

Those who died in last week's A1 tragedy, which claimed six lives, were remembered when Supt David Short, eastern divisional commander for North Yorkshire Police, read out their names.

He also read the names of the couple who died in last weekend's accident on the B1257, near Helmsley, and in recent accidents on the A61 between Harrogate and Ripon and on the A64 at Golden Hill near Malton.

One woman from Masham said she was a close friend of the Good Samaritan couple, Wendy and Stephen Maddison, who died on the A1 after they got out of their Range Rover to help three people who had already crashed.

She said: "People have said afterwards that people should be aware of the dangers of stopping. But how many other people would die if Good Samaritans didn't stop? They were such a good couple and did so much for others."

Coun Geoff Craggs, the Mayor of Boroughbridge, was one of the people who lit a candle as part of the service.

He was a family friend of one of the most recent road accident victims.

John Binks died with his friend on the A61 between Ripon and Harrogate in a motorcycle accident and his mother, Dilys, sister and grandmother were at the service.

Coun Craggs said: "John's father Dennis works for us and he's a retained fireman at Boroughbridge.

"He does get called out to all sorts of traumatic incidents and it's tragic that his son should be killed in one of them.

"It's been a very moving service and was a comfort - it can only be a comfort, but it shows other people are in the same predicament."

Pamela Surman, from Ripon, attended the service to remember her son, Nicholas, 37, who died in a road accident in London in February.

"It was a very emotional service, especially putting the oak leaves on the altar."

David Lindsay, North Yorkshire County Council's road safety officer, gave an address and said he hoped that in time speeding would become as socially unacceptable as drink driving had now become.

And he spoke about a new scheme the council was introducing, asking residents to sign "commitment cards" pledging they would not speed in theirs or neighbouring areas.

janet.hewison@ycp.co.uk