A WAGON fire, a workshop blaze and numerous grass fires kept fire crews at full stretch across North Yorkshire on Good Friday.

Fire-fighters were called to Menethorpe Lane, Norton, where an empty livestock lorry caught fire, setting 7.5 tonnes of straw nearby alight. The lorry cab and the straw were destroyed.

Up to 60 firefighters and officers from as far away as Pickering, Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay tackled a blaze involving a refrigeration unit in a workshop at Bootham Engineers, at Cayton, near Scarborough.

Crews were also called out to a further spate of minor grass fires across the county.

Glorious Good Friday weather prompted thousands to head for the Yorkshire Coast, creating severe traffic congestion on North Yorkshire's roads.

One of the busiest was the A64 to Scarborough and Filey. Police said traffic on the eastbound carriageway backed up from the Hopgrove roundabout to Copmanthorpe by late yesterday morning.

The ambulance service reported a number of minor accidents involving motorcyclists yesterday, but police said they were not aware of any involving serious injuries.

A three-vehicle accident in Malton Road, near the Hopgrove pub, left two people with minor injuries, said a spokesman.

Police said today they dealt with 80 incidents in the York and Selby area last night, including a number of domestic incidents after closing time.

Updated: 10:36 Saturday, April 19, 2003