Councillors want money spending on repairing the white lines on important main routes following an appeal by police.

The force has written to Craven Area Committee highlighting its concern about the danger of not having road markings clearly defined.

Police chiefs believe that badly marked roads are a contributing factor to a number of collisions.

They particularly pinpointed the condition of the central white lines on the A65 Settle bypass.

North Yorkshire County Councillor David Ireton, who chaired the area committee on Thursday, said he feared that if County Hall did nothing, members could face charges of culpable manslaughter.

“There have already been three serious accidents on the A65 and we have to look seriously at what we can do,” he said.

County Councillor Robert Heseltine said: “Burying our heads in the sand would be an abrogation of our responsibility. We are being negligent if we do nothing.”

These were exceptional circumstances and the money must be made available, members were told.

“There will be further serious accidents on Settle bypass and the council executive has to respond,” Coun Heseltine warned.

Council highways manager Chris Craven said £6.6 million had been earmarked for particular schemes which meant there was not enough cash to meet the cost of all the repair work.

Some inroads would be made in re-instating road markings but some areas would still remain in a poor condition.

There have been a number of deaths on Settle bypass in recent months including a 51-year-old cyclist and a 75-year-old woman, who was a rear seat passenger in a car.

And on Friday, July 1, a 78-year-old woman suffered serious chest injuries and her 83-year-old husband, who was driving, was also injured when their car crashed at the Brackenber Lane junction near the Craven Arms pub at 11am.

Police are still appealing for witnesses to the crash, which also involved a white van and a blue Toyota Auris, on 0845 6060 247.