MOTORCYCLISTS who stopped to drag casualties out of a crashed car just before it caught fire have been hailed as heroes by the ambulance service.

A black Peugeot 307 containing six young people left the westbound carriageway of the A64, near the junction with the A19 not far from York, yesterday morning, careering into a ditch at the side of the road.

A group of passing motorcyclists saw what had happened and pulled the occupants clear.

Fire crews from York arrived within minutes to extinguish the blaze, but by then it had already engulfed the passenger compartment.

A spokesman for the ambulance service praised the bikers for their prompt actions.

He said: "Things could have been a lot worse if the motorcyclists hadn't been around."

Despite the rescue, two of the casualties were last night in a serious condition in York District Hospital.

One is a 20-year-old woman, the other a 23-year-old man who suffered head injuries.

None of the victims' identities had been released by police last night and the cause of the accident is unclear.

Police are hoping to trace the driver of a blue car travelling west on the A64, between Grimston and the A19 junction, at 10.15am yesterday, who may have seen what happened.

Anyone who can help is asked to contact York police, on (01904) 631321.