A FEMALE cyclist left lying unconscious in a snowdrift after an accident was saved when she was spotted by a lorry driver.

Sarah Archdale, 25, was injured after falling from her bike in York.

Lorry driver Colin Dodds mistook her for a pile of snow until he saw the red rear light of her bike just before 7am at Bramley Garth, on Tuesday.

Mr Dodds said: “When I found her, she wasn’t breathing; she was getting covered by the snow. If a car had come round the corner, it could have hit her and killed her.

“I pulled the bike away and I tapped her cheek but there was no response whatsoever. I flagged over a man in a van and he called the emergency services and they were telling us what to do.”

Van driver John Pool helped to give first aid to the injured woman until she came to. Mrs Archdale said: “I was on my bike and the front wheel went over, and I landed on my head.

“All I know is these guys came and apparently I was unconscious when they found me.

“They put an umbrella over me and called an ambulance.

“The paramedics said I just looked like a snowman.

I have not broken anything. I’ve just hurt my neck.”

She was taken to York Hospital.

More than 100 schools were closed in North Yorkshire yesterday because of the weather.

Elsewhere, Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team said that although volunteers were on standby, they had not been called out to any emergencies.

A spokesman said: “If the ambulance services experience any difficulties in getting to someone, we will be able to help out.

“We haven’t experienced these conditions for a number of years, but there haven’t been any big problems for us yet.”

Schools and council services across County Durham continued to be severely affected by the weather, with Durham County Council forced to close 190 out of the 287 schools it runs.

Bin and recycling collections across the county were suspended yesterday.

Oliver Sherratt, the council’s head of direct services, said: “The decision was not taken lightly, but the safety of residents and staff are our highest priority.

The authority had set a winter maintenance budget of £2.75m, but has already spent £3m since the beginning of last month.

On the trains, East Coast operated a revised timetable, which will continue today.

Passengers have been told to expect longer journeys.