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Wrong-way car on M40 near site of triple death crash

News image@martb6969 The crash caused 70 minute delays northbound@martb6969
Three people died in a crash in October on a nearby stretch of the M40

A car has been seen driving the wrong way on a motorway less than six months after the same mistake caused a crash that killed three people.

An elderly woman was reported travelling south on the northbound carriageway of the M40 near Wheatley.

It is the same stretch of motorway as a fatal accident last October.

That crash claimed the lives of driver John Norton, 80, his passenger Olive Howard, 87, and Mondeo driver Stuart Richards, 32.

Thames Valley Police said it received "numerous" reports of a Honda Jazz or a similar small car driving the wrong way at 14:24 GMT on Monday, between junctions 8 and 7.

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Sergeant James Atkinson said officers were sent to the motorway but the car has not been found, and it was "likely that the driver has realised her error and rectified this".

"We will, however, continue our enquiries, including viewing dash-cam footage from witnesses to locate the registration number of the vehicle," he added.

In October police said an SUV towing a caravan going the wrong way caused a crash between junction 8A for Oxford and junction 6 for Watlington.

Concerns about the driver, from High Wycombe, were raised with police days before and the force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

News imageStuart Richards
Stuart Richards died when his Ford Mondeo was struck on the M40