TWO men died and two more were seriously injured in separate accidents near York.

Firefighters cut three casualties free from the wreckage of a two-vehicle smash on the A59 near Hessay at 2.10am yesterday.

Sergeant Dave Hopper, of York Police, said a blue Ford Mondeo driving towards York had collided with a blue Transit van travelling in the opposite direction.

The driver of the Mondeo was pronounced dead at the scene. It is thought he worked for the Layerthorpe-based private hire firm Six-five-nine.

He is believed to be aged about 37 years old and is a father-of-two, one an 11-month-old baby and the other aged four.

One driver at the firm said: "It was a very sombre day yesterday, everyone's thoughts are with his family." A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said the male driver of the van suffered chest and leg injuries and was taken to York Hospital. His passenger suffered severe back pain and a minor facial injury.

Sgt Hopper said their injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

A North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service spokesman said firefighters from York and Acomb stations had used hydraulic cutting equipment to free the men.

He said the last appliance had returned to base at 7.15am.

The road was closed for at least two hours while officers investigated the scene.

Almost eight hours later, a 35-year-old York man was killed when his motorbike hit a grass verge on the outskirts of Tadcaster.

Inspector Mike Harvey, of North Yorkshire Police, said the man was travelling along the unclassified road between Colton and Copmanthorpe, in the direction of Copmanthorpe, when the accident occurred.

His blue Yamaha 125cc machine left the road on the rider's right-hand side at about 9.50am. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Coun Brian Percival, who lives in Colton, said the unclassified road was a danger to motorists.

"This is awful," he said.

"The big issue here is that there are too many straight sections followed by very sharp right-hand bends.

"There have got to be more hazard warning signs."

Anyone who saw either of the accidents, or the vehicles prior to them, should phone North Yorkshire Police on 0845 60 60 24 7.

Updated: 10:14 Monday, November 14, 2005