Vandals caused crash, say police (From Oxford Mail)

Vandals caused crash, say police

Vandals who smashed the control box of traffic lights in Oxford could be responsible for causing a serious car crash.

A man had to be cut free from the wreckage of a car after it was in collision with another vehicle at about 4.15am yesterday morning.

His blue Renault 5 hit a black Renault Clio at the junction of London Road and Windmill Road in Headington, where a set of traffic lights had been vandalised.

The trapped driver was freed by Kidlington firefighters using hydraulic cutting equipment and taken by ambulance to the nearby John Radcliffe Hospital.

He suffered minor injuries and was discharged yesterday. The other driver escaped uninjured.

Police said it was "more than likely" that the accident happened because the traffic lights were not working, and condemned vandals for endangering lives.

An area beat officer noticed the lights were not working at about 3.50am and reported it to a recorded helpline run by Oxfordshire County Council, which is responsible for maintenance.

The council said a helpline response service runs from 8am to 8pm and that engineers investigate reports of faults as soon as they can.

Anyone with information about the incident should call Oxford Police on 01865 266333.