TWO men have pleaded guilty at the start of the trial into the death of two 17-year-olds in a collision last year.

George Thomas Turner, 17, and Mason Pearson, 17, died after the Volkswagen Bora that they were travelling in collided with a Ford Focus on 7 March 2018 on the A61 between Busby Stoop and Carlton Miniott, in North Yorkshire.

Another two passengers in the Bora, an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, were taken to hospital in a critical condition and later discharged.

The driver and passengers of the Ford Focus, a 27-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman from outside the area were discharged from hospital following treatment. Their three-year-old daughter and a six-month old son were kept in hospital for observation before being discharged.

The driver of the Bora, 24 year-old Luke Ridley from Thirsk, pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and five counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

18 year-old William James Corser, of Thirsk, the teenage driver of a third vehicle that was not involved in the collision, but driving in company with the Bora, also pleaded not guilty to one count of dangerous driving on the same date.

Both men appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Monday, at the start of the scheduled trial, where both changed their pleas to guilty on all counts.

Both were granted conditional bail with an interim driving disqualification and are due to be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court later this month.