AN elderly driver who died after colliding head-on with a tractor on an undulating rural road has been named.

Alan Willmett, 77, of Boroughbridge, sustained fatal injuries in the incident near Great Ouseburn, at 6pm on Thursday, February 5.

A 76-year-old female passenger in Mr Willmett's Fiat Panda car, who is also from Boroughbridge but has not been named, was taken to hospital for a check-up after the crash.

The driver of a digger-like red Manitour tractor, a 33-year-old man from the Leeds area, was uninjured and was arrested at the scene of the collision.

He has been released on police bail while the investigation continues.

Police have appealed to anyone who saw the vehicles before the collision at the junction of Moor Lane and Carr Side Lane, on the B6265 Boroughbridge to Green Hammerton road, to call 101.

Inspector Ian Pope said: “This incident has resulted in the loss of Mr Willmett’s life and we urgently need the public’s help to piece together all the information so that we can understand how this tragic event occurred.

“If you were on the road you may have seen something that you feel is not important, but it could be vital to our investigation, so please call us, even the smallest piece of information could help.”