POLICE spent more than seven hours searching for a motorist after a crash on a remote road in the Yorkshire Dales.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service sent out two crews just after 2am on Thursday morning after reports of a car on fire in Bouldershaw Lane, near Langthwaite, in Arkengarthdale.

Firefighters arrived to find a Mercedes saloon car had set on fire after crashing on the narrow country lane. 

No other vehicles were believed to be involved. 

Fire service staff alerted North Yorkshire Police.

The fire was extinguished and police and fire crews searched the wreckage and the immediate area around the vehicle for the driver, however they were not found.

Amid fears the motorist could be seriously injured, the search area was widened to the surrounding countryside.

Checks were also made at addressees linked to the vehicle and the registered owner.

However, it was not until after seven hours of searching that the driver was found. 

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said: "At around 9.45am, a 22-year-old man from Stockport was eventually traced to a property two miles away in the village of Low Row where he had knocked on the door after walking away from the collision.

"He was checked over by the ambulance service this morning.

"Enquiries into the incident are ongoing."

It is understood the motorist was not seriously hurt.
Police considered calling in the police helicopter to help in the search but decided against the move.

The car was completely destroyed in the incident.

Crews from Reeth and Leyburn used one hose reel, two breathing apparatus, lighting, thermal imaging camera and a winch to extinguish the fire.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirmed that paramedics had initially been called out in the early hours of the morning but the driver was not at the scene.