A DRIVER was taken to hospital and his passenger was injured when the car they were in crashed during a police pursuit.

The man, thought to be in his twenties, failed to stop when challenged by a police vehicle in Old Malton.

Officers gave chase and caught up with the vehicle as it smashed into a wall near a mini-roundabout, at the junction of Highfield Road and Old Malton Road.

Police have only just released details of the incident, which happened early last Friday.

Sergeant Stuart Grainger said: "The car crashed backwards into a wall and the back end was badly damaged."

He said officers at the scene had reported that if the front of the car had collided with the wall, its occupants could have been seriously hurt.

The driver was detained at the scene. Police wished to speak to him after he allegedly failed to appear at York Crown Court.

He was taken to York District Hospital with cuts to the head, and bruises to his neck and back.

His passenger, also in his twenties, ran off, but later went to Malton Police Station and admitted to being in the vehicle, which police believe belonged to the driver.

The pair, both believed to be local, were questioned at York and bailed to appear at Malton Police Station on April 27.

Meanwhile an accident involving a heavy goods vehicle left part of the A64 near Malton blocked for more than four hours yesterday.

Traffic had to be diverted around the crash site, which was near to the Old Malton roundabout on the A64.

The three vehicles involved in the incident, at about 4.10pm, were a white Ford Transit van, a blue Rover, and a 38-tonne lorry loaded with potatoes.

Sergeant Carol Horner said the road was not cleared until 7.55pm.

Drivers were told to avoid the road, as diversions were sent up along the A64 and on to the A169.

Two people were taken to hospital by ambulance, although they were not thought to be seriously injured.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the driver of the van had suffered minor injuries and whiplash. A police spokesman said the van driver was arrested at Malton Hospital and bailed to appear at Malton police station.

Updated: 11:30 Tuesday, March 26, 2002