A DRIVER and their dog had to be freed from the wreckage of a 'serious' crash near Chipping Norton.

Two cars smashed into each other along the A436 at Cornwell shortly before 2pm yesterday.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the driver of one car was trapped with a dog inside the wreckage which was embedded in dense hedgerow.

Firefighters had to cut through a large section of the hedge to get to the car and managed to free both the driver and dog.

The other driver was already out of their vehicle when emergency service arrived and only had minor injuries.

Incident commander Chris Hollis said: "Firefighters worked hard in difficult conditions to access the vehicle and release the trapped casualty.

"This was a significant collision where the only safety features of the vehicles involved, and the wearing of seatbelts, prevented much more serious injury.

"I would take this opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of always wearing your seatbelt as without it, even a relatively minor collision could have serious consequences."