A dead woman's body lay underneath a car for hours as firefighters stood at a picket line only minutes away.

A Royal Navy crew covering for the strikers took two hours to cut the young woman's body free after she was crushed to death by a car.

The victim, who was in her mid-20s, died a few streets from the picket line at Rewley Road fire station in Oxford city centre.

Police are believed to be investigating the possibility she was pushed into the path of the car on Monday evening.

Heavy fog

Paramedics arrived at the scene outside the Jolly Farmer pub in Paradise Street soon after the alarm was raised, but the pedestrian had already died.

Police have sealed off the road to hunt for clues about the accident, which took place as the city was enveloped in heavy fog.

Firefighters in Oxford have previously broken their strike to help in emergencies.

It is not known if the striking firefighters at Rewley Road were alerted to the crash.