SPEED camera vans will continue to be deployed across North Yorkshire to stop the county becoming a racetrack police leaders have said.

Although a drastic reduction in traffic is expected on the county's 5,350 miles of roads as people stay home amid the coronavirus epidemic police say they want to stop speeding drivers.

Responding to questions over the future use of vans during the crisis in an online briefing Chief Constable Lisa Winward said they would still be used.

She added: "Tragically and sadly we have seen somebody killed on our roads in a collision two days ago.

"We urge people not to use the roads in an irresponsible manner. Despite the challenges, there are still people being killed and seriously injured on the roads and we are working in partnership with 95 alive road safety partnership and the safety camera vans which will still see activity on roads because it is our responsibility to keep you safe."

Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan said: "We have had a lot of complaints about camera vans and why they should be deployed. We have many country roads which are far more dangerous than motorways in terms of killed and serious injury incidents. We don't want empty roads to be used as racetracks in North Yorkshire because the pressures on the NHS are incredible, we don't want to add to that."