A NORTH YORKSHIRE hotel is offering a special road rage calming zone to give frustrated motorists a break from the pressures of traffic.

The idea is being tested during the summer at the Bridge Inn Hotel, at Walshford, near Wetherby, and could be continued all year round if successful.

Motorists can pull off the A1 at the three-star hotel, book a bedroom for two hours and lie back in the dark listening to soothing music.

Other tension-removers on offer include half-price coffee, the use of a keep-fit gym, aromatherapy bath oils, video guides to meditation and yoga and the chance to watch the nearby River Nidd flow by.

It is described as a 'short break from motoring madness' and costs from £25.

Said hotel manager Brian Cunningham: "The A1 is a race track and our hotel will act as a pit stop.

"Guests will leave in a happy state of mind and we will fill otherwise empty rooms so it's a win-win situation."