TRAFFIC has returned to normal on the M40 southbound between Bicester and Oxford following a car fire.

Thames Valley Police had been called to the road between Junction 9 and Junction 8 after a BMW 318 and part of the grass verge had caught fire.

Officers, who were called at 1.47pm, had initially been forced to close lanes one and two, but it has been reported that all lanes are now open and traffic has returned to normal.