MOTORISTS have received a second tongue-lashing from police within days for bad driving.

Sergeant Duncan Green, of Cleveland Police, said his route to a five-car pile-up at Grinkle Park, east Cleveland, yesterday, was littered with the wrecks of vehicles.

He said: "I must have passed at least ten other cars, lorries and vans which had collided with lampposts, crash barriers or had gone into a ditch.''

He said cars were driving too close, too fast and failed to take heed of icy road conditions.

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said it was lucky there was only one minor injury in the five-car pile-up.

Force headquarters yesterday appealed to motorists to slow down, only days after criticising drivers for the same faults following the 26th smash on Teesside's roads in 48 hours.