PRESSURE was mounting today for the notorious Bilbrough Top gap on the A64 near York to be shut immediately, following the latest accident.

Selby District Council has unanimously agreed to write to the Highways Agency to press for the closure of the gap in the central reservation.

Selby MP John Grogan is also planning to write to the agency on the same lines.

He told the Evening Press: "I do now think we ought to close it - and I think the balance of opinion among local villagers has now shifted that way as well."

The moves come after a 19-year-old student from London was killed at the junction last weekend when the car she was travelling in was struck by a coach.

Rachelle Ansell's mother, Josyann,e was crossing the westbound carriageway after passing through the gap when the accident happened. Josyanne was in a "comfortable" condition today at York District Hospital. The Evening Press, which has been campaigning for several years for the gap's closure on safety grounds, repeated its plea on Monday. But the agency said it did not intend closing the gap for another 18 months until a flyover has been built locally, saying closure would cause problems elsewhere.

Now the Evening Press's call has been taken up by district councillors at a full council meeting.

Coun Brian Percival, who tabled the motion, said that all too often at Bilbrough Top, there was a "game of Russian roulette played out with vehicles in the barrel of the gun." Coun Chris Metcalfe, who seconded the plea, told the Evening Press: "Now we have been through the inquiry process and the flyover has been agreed, I cannot see any reason why the gap cannot be closed. There's no reason for it to remain open.

"How many more lives have to be lost so that somebody can gain access to the Bilbrough Top complex?"

Mr Grogan said that now the public inquiry into the Bilbrough Top flyover had been completed and construction work was due to go ahead next year, the inconvenience to some local motorists would only be for a limited time. He said there were also arguments that the dangers for motorists in using the gap had increased since the traffic lights at Copmanthorpe had been removed, because it meant there were less gaps in the flow of traffic. He said this view was disputed by the agency, but he tended to believe it was the case.

An agency spokeswoman said today: "Obviously, the agency would listen very fully to any concerns expressed by either Selby District Council or John Grogan."

Updated: 11:43 Thursday, September 12, 2002