FIREFIGHTERS crossed the picket lines once again after an accident on the A1 in North Yorkshire.

A collision between two lorries on the southbound carriageway caused traffic to come to a standstill for hours, creating a ten-mile tailback.

The accident happened near the junction for the A59, at Allerton Park, just before 11am yesterday.

A driver was reported trapped in one of the vehicles, prompting three full-time fire crews - two from Ripon and one from Harrogate - to assist a Green Goddess team.

He was released before the crews arrived and taken to Harrogate District Hospital suffering from serious injuries.

The southbound carriageway and one lane of the northbound carriageway were closed until about 4.30pm.

Anyone who saw the collision is asked to call the police witness line on (01423) 539474.

Meanwhile, an RAF crew from Dishforth, North Yorkshire, became the first in the county to successfully use cutting equipment to free a driver.

He had been trapped in an LDV flatbed truck, which collided with the back of another vehicle on the A1 at Walshford, near Wetherby, at 5.50pm last night.

The crew, manning a Green Goddess, and a second vehicle carrying the cutting equipment freed the man from his crushed driver's cab and he was taken to hospital.

His injuries were not thought life threatening.