Severe A34 and M40 crashes take place on Oxfordshire roads
The city itself also experienced dramatic incidents which had a rippling impact on communities and householders. In January, a crash in Iffley Road resulted in a car flipped on its side, destroying two shop fronts. Pictures taken showed an overturned Vauxhall SUV on the pavement with police tape surrounding the scene.
The front of Turtle Pizza Cafe, a pizza restaurant, was heavily damaged, with the front shutters destroyed and the doors smashed. The glass at the front of Tsang's Kitchen, a Chinese takeaway restaurant next door, was also broken following the crash. In March, the M40 on the Oxfordshire border with Buckinghamshire was blocked after a car overturned.
This resulted in the road being closed between the A420 and the A423 at Hinksey. April also saw a lorry hit a bridge on the M40, causing the motorway to be closed in both directions. Thames Valley Police raced to the scene and closed the road in both directions between Junction 9 near Bicester and Junction 8A near Oxford.
National Highways described the incident as a "serious collision". In May, there was a major crash on the A415 between Culham and Abingdon, causing the road to close. There was also major disruption in Oxford with a two-vehicle crash involving an ODS van in front of the Cowley Police Station.
Buses from Cowley were being diverted up Church Cowley Road to go into the city via the Iffley-route. In June, there was another crash involving a lorry which hit a bridge on the M40. Oxfordshire County Council[2]'s Fire and Rescue Service were called at 5.15am on June 7 to the M40, northbound, just past Junction 9.
A total of four fire engines were sent from Bicester, two from Rewley Road Fire Station in Oxford and a rescue tender from Kidlington Fire Station. They found a lorry on its side. Fire and rescue crews released the driver who was trapped.
SEE ALSO: Harry Potter stars reunite at Oxford University cathedral[3] 
Thames Valley Police, South Central Ambulance Service and Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service all attended the scene. The police force confirmed four people had been injured in the crash and one person was seriously injured. In November, a car burst into flames on the Southern Bypass on the edge of Oxford.
Both directions were blocked and were subsequently closed at around 2pm as emergency services including Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene. The incident had a major impact on buses too with several services having to be rerouted throughout the afternoon. In the same month, the Real Madrid team bus crashed on the M40.
Footage circled around on social media showing a bus covered with the Real Madrid emblem and branding stuck on the motorway. An exact location was not known but it is understood to have occurred just across the border in Warwickshire. In December, the A34 was closed after a crash involving five vehicles.
Several lorries spilled their loads and nobody was injured. A jackknifed lorry also caused the A34 to close later in December. Help support trusted local news
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About the author Toby is a senior reporter who has a particular interest in covering planning and local government.
He joined in September 2024 having been a reporter at the Hampshire Chronicle for three years.
Toby studied at the University of Brighton and can be found on X through the handle @JournoToby
References
- ^ Oxfordshire A34 lorry crash 'upsetting incident of carnage' (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)
- ^ Oxfordshire County Council (www.oxfordshire.gov.uk)
- ^ Harry Potter stars reunite at Oxford University cathedral (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)
- ^ https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe/ (www.oxfordmail.co.uk)