Police appeal for witnesses to serious A1M collision

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said the incident, at about 3pm on Thursday December 30, saw a silver Volkswagen Polo in collision with a red Vauxhall Combo van, about a mile from Junction 44 in the Aberford area.

“A woman in her nineties, who was a passenger in the Polo, was taken to hospital with serious injuries, which are said to be life threatening due to her age,” said a force spokesman.

“The drivers of both vehicles suffered minor injuries.

“Enquiries suggest the Polo had travelled the wrong way along the A64 from North Yorkshire before it joined the A1M carriageway, travelling southbound on the northbound carriageway.”

Anyone who saw the Polo on the A64, or who has dashcam footage that will aid police enquiries, is asked to contact the Roads Policing Unit on 101, quoting log 861 of 30 December.

Vehicles were trapped for hours and miles of tailbacks formed all around the area, including Tadcaster, as emergency services worked at the scene.

At one point during the evening, police issued an urgent appeal for people to get back in their vehicles so that they could clear trapped traffic.