THE lethal potential of the road dubbed one of the most dangerous in Britain was thrown back in the spotlight yesterday after another horrific crash.

In the past decade, the trans-Pennine stretch of the A66 has claimed about 70 lives and caused countless injuries - and yesterday it added to the tally. Two people were hurt - one seriously - in a three-vehicle crash that led to the road being closed to traffic for four hours.

The pile-up took place near Gilling West, five miles from Scotch Corner, North Yorkshire, and involved a white Ford Escort van, an articulated lorry and a silver Vauxhall Vectra.

Van driver Robert Watson, from West Cornforth, Ferryhill, County Durham, had to be cut free from his vehicle and was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

Lorry driver Ian Knipe, from the Bradford area, was also taken to the same hospital, but his injuries were said to be minor and he was discharged after treatment.

The three people in the Vectra, all from the Harrogate area of North Yorkshire, were not hurt.

Officers from North Yorkshire's road policing group are now trying to piece together the cause of the crash and have appealed for anyone who saw anything to contact them on (01423) 539474.

The smash has heightened fears that more people could be killed on the road unless action is quickly taken.

Less than two months ago the road was branded as the worst in the country by a panel of experts recruited by the BBC.

The Northern Echo has long championed a campaign by the A66 Completion Group to have the road upgraded to dual carriageway along its entire length.

The number of fatal and serious injury accidents on single carriageway sections is 14 per cent above the national average for A-class roads in non-built up areas.

A Government-commiss-ioned safety study estimated that, without full dualling, during the next 30 years there could be another 20 people killed, 139 seriously injured and 581 slightly injured.

Transport officials have announced a package of short-term measures, including speed cameras and junction improvements, in a bid to cut the death toll. It is hoped that long-term plans will be unveiled in the near future.

A leading member of the A66 Completion Group is North Yorkshire County Council. Their director of environmental services, Mike Moore, said yesterday: "The increasing number of casualties and fatalities on the road clearly shows how dangerous the current mix of single and dual carriageway is.

"We now expect the Government to come forward with a clear programme aim-ed at bringing about change at the earliest possible opportunity."