Sheep on road near Scarborough prompt police road safety warning

This morning, officers attended the area following further reports at around 9am. The sheep were cleared off the highway, and left in a field.

Officers will be speaking to the owner to ensure fencing around the field is improved to prevent further occurrences.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “Sheep are just some of the unexpected hazards that drivers on North Yorkshire’s rural roads can encounter. We’re grateful for everyone’s calls alerting us to the issues at Cloughton, so we can help sort things out.

“Remember to read the road ahead, and expect the unexpected, so that everyone gets home safe.”

Large swathes of North Yorkshire’s 6,000-mile road network are rural, and police are reminding motorists of the importance of driving safely and patiently on our country roads.

Therefore, offices are asking road users to follow this advice:

- The best drivers read the road ahead and anticipate potential hazards. Look out for upcoming bends, hidden dips, blind summits and concealed entrances.

- Country roads often have sharp bends. To stay in control and give yourself time to react to unexpected hazards, brake before the bend, not in it.

- Overgrown verges, bushes and trees on country roads can block your view and potentially obscure an oncoming hazard. Always drive at a speed which will allow you to stop in the distance you can see to be clear (double that on a single track road). Allow more time to stop on wet or slippy surfaces.

- The speed limit is a limit not a target. The national speed limit on single carriage roads is 60mph, but there will be times you need to drive under that in order to drive correctly for the conditions. In fact most people do on these roads – the average free flow speed is 48mph.

- If you get stuck behind a slow moving vehicle be patient. Dips in roads, bends and other junctions joining your road often hide oncoming vehicles, so unless it’s absolutely safe, don’t overtake.

- If passing more vulnerable road users such as horse riders, cyclists and walkers, pass wide and slow.

- Even if you’re familiar with a country road, never take it for granted as the conditions – and hazards, like sheep on the road – can be different every time.