THREE vehicles parked in a pub car park have been severely damaged after being hit by an overturned lorry.

The accident at the bottom of one of North Yorkshire's steepest banks caused chaos yesterday as tar and diesel spilt across the road.

The driver of the yellow Leyland lorry lost control of his vehicle at about 9.25am as he was driving down Blue Bank, in Sleights, near Whitby.

As the vehicle came to rest on its side, part of its bitumen load sprayed over three cars parked by the Plough Inn.

Police said the lorry damaged a yellow Renault Clio and a green Vauxhall Frontera and destroyed a red Renault Clio.

Fire crews attended from Malton and Whitby to clean up the spillage, while traffic was diverted.

"The crew used the gravel that was also being transported by the lorry to spread over the spillage," said a fire and rescue spokesman.

"That absorbed the diesel and tar allowing it to be shovelled up.

"We also informed the Environment Agency of the spillage, which is usual practice when diesel is involved."

British Telecom was also called to out to repair a telegraph pole that had been knocked down in the incident.

The driver of the lorry, Philip Baxter, 31, from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, was taken to Scarborough General Hospital with minor back injuries.

A police spokesman said that Blue Bank was notorious for accidents of this kind, where lorries lose control and usually end up near the Plough Inn car park.