SIX people were injured in a head-on smash at an accident blackspot that shut the A64 near York for five hours.

Hundreds of drivers were caught in tailbacks up to 13 miles long after the two-car crash near Bilbrough Top at about 2.40pm yesterday.

Four men travelling in one car were injured - two of them seriously - and two women in another vehicle were also hurt.

North Yorkshire Police shut the A64 in both directions between Copmanthorpe and Tadcaster after the collision on the eastbound carriageway, about 30m from the Aagrah restaurant towards York.

One man in his 20s, who suffered serious, but not life-threatening, head injuries, was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

A second man was taken to York Hospital by paramedics with serious leg injuries, while the other two men also needed treatment for shoulder injuries and shock.

Two women were also taken to the hospital, one with minor injuries and the other with minor chest injuries.

A spokeswoman for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service said the first person on the scene was its assistant director of operations.

He was helped by an ambulance service emergency medical technician - himself on sick leave after being injured in a traffic accident while at work - who was also travelling on the A64 at the time of the crash.

A Nissan Almera, containing the four men, and a Subaru Impreza, containing the two women, were involved in the collision.

It is believed one of the vehicles crashed over the central reservation barrier before colliding head-on with a car travelling towards York.

Crews from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service cut free four people who were trapped, and removed the roof of one of the vehicles.

Traffic queued for miles in the eastbound carriageway, while people tried to negotiate diversions to avoid the closure. A driver who was stuck on the slip-road at Tadcaster said many motorists were performing U-turns on the one-way road or even reversing beside oncoming traffic to avoid the jam.

The westbound carriageway was eventually reopened at 7.30pm, and the eastbound lane was opened two hours later, seven hours after the crash.

The A64 at Bilbrough Top is a notorious blackspot that has been the scene of a number of serious crashes.

Police spokesman Tony Lidgate said: "The A64 westbound at Copmanthorpe was closed at 3.10pm once we had cleared the backlog of traffic.

"The air ambulance helicopter left the scene at 2.51pm."