A MOTORCYCLIST from the North-East was last night fighting for his life after an accident in the Lake District.

The 42-year-old, from Darlington, was airlifted to hospital after the crash, near Coniston, on Easter Monday.

He was left in a critical condition after his Honda machine was in collision with a car at about 2.20pm on the A593, at Park Coppice.

A fire crew from Coniston were first on the scene and gave emergency first aid to the man before he was taken to Furness General Hospital, in Barrow-in-Furness, by the North West Air Ambulance.

The driver of the Silver Ford Fiesta involved in the crash and his wife, both from Manchester, were treated by paramedics for chest injuries.

The motorcyclist was later transferred by helicopter to the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where he remains in a critical condition.

A number of other serious accidents involving motorcycles occured on the region's roads over the Bank Holiday weekend.

On Sunday, a motorcyclist from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was seriously hurt following a crash on the A64 at Hazelbush, between York and Malton.

He was overtaking slower moving vehicles when he hit a car turning right at about 7.40pm.

The man was transferred to Hull Royal Infirmary in the early hours of Monday and his condition was described as stable.

On Good Friday a 27-year-old man from Lealholm, near Whitby, was killed in a motorcycle accident on the A171 near the town.

Last week North Yorkshire Police launched a crackdown, promising a strict policy of enforcement to cut the number of motorcyclist road deaths.

Over the Easter weekend they targeted the Yorkshire Dales, stopping 120 motorcyclists.

In total, 47 were issued with fixed penalty tickets for having illegal exhaust systems or registration plates and one for not wearing a helmet. Five were reported for speeding - one at 103mph and one at 98mph.

The exercise will be repeated over the coming weeks.