TWO people died in separate accidents on the region's roads yesterday.

Shortly after 11am, a car and lorry collided on the A1237 York ring road, between Little Hopgrove roundabout and Monks Cross roundabout.

A man in the car was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident closed the road for five hours, causing traffic chaos. Vehicles were diverted towards the city centre and the A19.

Earlier, a man from West Yorkshire died when his car was involved in a collision with two lorries and three other cars on the A162 near Sherburn-in-Elmet, Selby. No one else was seriously injured in the accident at 4.50am.

The deaths followed three other tragedies in the county in the past six days.

On Tuesday night, Carl David Elsworth, 24, from Bedale, died when his car hit a bridge between Exelby and Bedale.

The day before, 30-year-old Keith Walker, from Sheffield, died in a pile-up on the A1 at Wetherby and, last weekend, a man in his 20s from Northallerton died when his MG collided with a people carrier on the A61, between Skipton-on-Swale and Baldersby.