THREE hours of snow on Monday brought gridlock to roads around Skipton.

At one point the roads to Harrogate, Grassington, Earby and Settle were all blocked - and roadworks on Keighley Road only added to the problem.

Traffic Sergeant Les Moorhouse said traffic came to a standstill after the snow began to settle. A lot of people left work early afternoon, which coincided with parents picking up their children from school.

Problems on the Addingham to Silsden road and a jack-knifed lorry on the A59 forced other motorists to divert through Skipton town centre. This added to the already heavy local traffic, and motorists took hours just to travel a short distance.

School pupils on Gargrave Road, Skipton, waited out in cold for up to two hours while the school buses fought their way to Ermysted's and Skipton Girls' High. The last buses left at about 5.30pm.

Highways divisional engineer Richard Marr said 13 gritters were sent out to help alleviate the situation but some of them became clogged in the traffic.

TS Moorhouse blamed part of the problem on motorists who failed to adapt to the conditions. He said some drove too fast or too slow, while others abandoned their cars at the side of the road, causing trouble for other drivers.

Traffic officers did double shifts to ensure there were enough staff on duty to deal with the many accidents.

Most were minor bumps, but two people were seriously injured in a crash on the A65 at Chelker between Addingham and Draughton at 10.42pm.

A blue Fiat Punto heading towards Addingham was in collision with a red Vauxhall Corsa travelling in the opposite direction.

Fiat driver Emma Fawcett, 22, and her passenger Tony Holdsworth, 22, both of Leeds, were treated at the scene by a passing doctor before being taken to Airedale Hospital.

Yesterday (Thursday) Miss Fawcett's condition was described as comfortable while Mr Holdsworth was said to be poorly but stable in the intensive care unit.

Corsa driver Christine Dittman, 53, of Barnoldswick, suffered slight injuries.

Police are appealing to anyone who saw the crash or either vehicle prior the accident to contact TC Andy Bell via the witness line 01423 539474.

Elsewhere, trapped driver Andrew Wilson, of Stockton-on-Tees, had to be rescued after his broken-down lorry was in collision with a van on the A59 between Skipton and Blubberhouses. He was unhurt.

Other accidents included a vehicle slidding through a wall in Long Preston, two vehicles colliding outside the Bull at Broughton, and a Cherokee Jeep flipping on to its side on the Skipton to Carleton Road.

There was further chaos when a truck jack-knifed on the A59 at the junction with Colne roundabout and two vehicles were in collision near the Yorkshire Dales Falconry Centre at Giggleswick.

One of the drivers, Vivienne Shaw, was taken to Airedale with chest injuries, but they were not thought to be serious.

In South Craven, a large wagon became stuck at the bottom of Starkey Lane, Farnhill due to sheet ice, and the bad weather closed the Cononley to Lothersdale road.

The Carleton to Colne road was also closed, and members of the public reported dangerous driving conditions on the A59 between East Marton and Skipton and between Carleton and Cononley. The back road between Earby and Lothersdale was clogged with struggling vehicles.