A MAJOR initiative has been launched in an effort to stop lorries from getting stuck going up Sutton Bank.

The A170, which runs up Sutton Bank, has one of the steepest gradients of any major road in England.

In three sections, the road running from Thirsk to Scarborough rises at 25 per cent, or a gradient of one-in-four.

It has led to a problem with heavy goods vehicles literally getting stuck because it is too steep for them to climb.

Now a new campaign is being run by North Yorkshire County Council, North Yorkshire Police and the Freight Transport Association to alert drivers to the hazards they face as they try to drive up the bank.

Insp Chris Charlton, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "We are happy to endorse this. The problem takes up an awful lot of officer time in closing the road and directing traffic plus clearing the lorry.

"It can be anything from quarter of an hour where the problem is cleared straight away to it being a major problem lasting several hours."

In an average year, 120 HGVs and more than 400 goods vehicles get stuck trying to climb Sutton Bank. Police figures show that on average the road is blocked once every three days.

An anti-skid surface has been laid at the most difficult section of the bank on a hairpin bend. The surface is being used on the bank to test its effectiveness in reducing the number of lorry breakdowns.

The county council is also to erect more warning signs, some only activated by lorries, to try to reduce the problem.

Four thousand leaflets and posters will be given to road hauliers and truck stops throughout Britain to highlight the problem.

County Coun Peter Sowray, executive member for highways, said: "The problem with Sutton Bank, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the road, is that drivers can be misled into thinking they're over the worst, because the gradient varies from one section of the road to the next.

"They engage too high a gear, too soon, and then find themselves stuck, with no way of moving any further forward.

"We need to get the message across that Sutton Bank is one of the steepest trunk roads anywhere in England, and that using it requires considerable care."