TRAFFIC police whisked to the aid of a stranded 12-year-old chef after finding her struggling along the hard shoulder of the A1 carrying a chicken, cutlery and kitchen utensils.

They discovered panic-stricken Nicola Ramsay, from Little Crakehall, near Bedale, rushing up the hard shoulder on Friday morning as they diverted traffic away from an overturned lorry, near Darlington.

But after finding out the talented chef was on her way to a cooking competition, traffic officer John Hall agreed to give her a police escort to a lorry park, near Barton.

From there she was picked up by the competition organiser, who rushed her to Darlington in time for her to take part in the Young Chef of the Year, which is supported by The Northern Echo.

And thanks to the quick thinking of PC Hall, Nicola finished runner-up.

Nicola, who had just finished runner-up in the high-jump competition at Bedale High School, where she is a pupil, said it had been a hectic day.

She said: "We found out there would be a two-and-a-half hour delay, so we rang the organisers and asked if they could pick us up about two miles down the road.

"But luckily, the police car spotted us and rushed us along the hard shoulder, which was a real lifesaver."

First place in the competition went to Hannah Fletcher, of Darlington.