A scheme to improve safety at one of North Yorkshire's worst accident blackspots has been delayed again.

The Highways Agency said it is not possible for work to start on building a flyover and closing a gap in the central reservation on the A64 at Bilbrough Top, near York, because the tendering process has not been completed.

The agency had planned to start work last spring, however the start date slipped to June.

The organisation then revealed in June that the project could not begin because the bill for the project was higher than the expected costs of £4.8m.

It hoped then that work would start in autumn.

In a three-year period to the end of last year, there were 20 accidents at the spot, more than anywhere else in the county, county council statistics reveal.

The crashes included two fatal accidents involving cars passing through the gap in the central reservation.

The agency said it was still committed to the flyover scheme.

A spokeswoman said: "Due to issues of tender confidentiality we are unable to specify at this stage where the cost increases have occurred.

"The Highways Agency is fully aware of the poor safety record at this junction and remains fully committed to completing the project as quickly as possible."