A MOTORIST died after his car left the A1 and hit a tree.

The road was closed for three hours yesterday after the accident, which involved a blue Jaguar and a blue Skoda.

Emergency services were sent to the scene, about half a mile south of Scotch Corner, North Yorkshire, at about 9.30am. The Jaguar driver, a man in his 50s from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was cut free by fire crews.

He suffered chest injuries and was treated by Great North Air Ambulance paramedics en route to The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

He died in hospital at about 1pm. The Skoda driver, a 27- year-old man from Catterick, North Yorkshire, was unhurt.

A police spokesman said: “The Jaguar and the Skoda were both travelling north at the time.”

An air ambulance spokesman said: “We landed nearby and the patient was brought on board and anaesthetised and given treatment.”

Diversions were put in place to allow police to investigate.

Drivers faced long waits, with many being diverted through towns and villages.

The A1 reopened in both directions at about 12.45pm.

Witnesses to the accident, or anyone who saw how the vehicles were being driven, are asked to call police on 0845-60-60-24-7.