Motorists are being urged to avoid the A64 near Malton, North Yorkshire, after a lorry spilled its load of instant mashed potato. The mash is said to have swelled up as it covered the road causing a number of drivers to skid.

A lorry load of instant mashed potato which has spilled onto the A64 near Malton, North Yorkshire is proving to be a very slippery problem for emergency services trying to reopen the road. Crews have tried using freezing chemicals, snowploughs, gritters and now high-powered hoses to clear the mess.

But after five hours, North Yorkshire Police say the road remains like "an ice rink." The westbound lane from Scarborough is being reopened because of long tailbacks, but the instant mash which swelled up across the road when the lorry lost a quarter of its load is proving stubbornly resistant.