M40 crash: Three dead after car towing caravan drives in wrong direction up fast lane

Three people have died after a motorist who was towing a caravan the wrong way up the M40 crashed into two other vehicles.

The driver and a passenger in the Subaru Forester, both in their 80s, died in the collision on the northbound carriageway at around 4pm on Monday.

A man in his 30s, who was driving a Ford Mondeo, was also killed in the crash near junction six in Oxfordshire.

A Ford Focus was involved in the crash but it is not clear if those inside suffered any injuries.

South Central Ambulance Service reportedly dispatched an air ambulance to the scene.

Dashcam footage of the moments before the crash shows the Subaru Forester travelling the wrong way in the fast lane.

One car can be seen switching to the middle lane to avoid the oncoming car, while a blue van veers into the central reservation.

The driver who captured the footage also manages to the swerve out of the way.

The carriageway was closed while emergency services attended and resurfacing work took place.

It was reopened on Tuesday morning.

Liz Hindmarsh wrote on Twitter: "My husband had to swerve into the middle lane otherwise he'd have been hit by the caravan travelling the wrong way down the M40 in the outside (fast) lane."

Senior investigating officer, Sergeant Beth Walton from the serious collision investigation unit, said: "We are in the early stages of the investigation, in which sadly three people died and our thoughts are with their families.

"We are in the process of contacting witnesses who provided a report to us and are grateful for their support.

"I would ask anyone who has footage not to share it and to remove it from social media out of respect for the families and friends of the people who died."