A SECOND man has been arrested in connection with the murder in Barton on Tuesday.

Police said the man, who is in his 30s and from Cowley, was arrested on Wednesday night.

Yesterday officers were searching a house in Mayfair Road, Cowley, and part of neighbouring Hillsborough Road as part of the investigation.

Forensics officers were seen at the house, which was cordoned off with police tape, yesterday afternoon.

A blue police forensics tent was also put up at the junction of Kelburne Road and Hillsborough Road.

Police yesterday did not say what it was they were looking for, but did confirm it was not a second body. It came after man in his 20s died in the John Radcliffe Hospital on Wednesday after being found bleeding heavily in a red Mazda in North Way, Barton, on Tuesday night.

He had suffered serious injuries to his chest and it is believed he had been stabbed.

A 31-year-old man from Oxford was arrested. He was still in police custody yesterday after officers were given more time to question him.

John Keown, who owns Executive Alarms in Kelburne Road, said his staff had told him there was police activity when they turned up for work yesterday morning.

One staff member, who did not want to be named, said: “I was here at 6.30am and there were police in forensic suits.

“I spoke to a lady [who lived nearby] who was on the corner looking on.

“She was a nurse. She said she went to sleep at 10pm last night and got questioned by the police at 6.30am in the morning.”

The owner of newsagents Kelburne Road News, who also asked not to be named, said: “At 7am there were police cars. It is a quiet area.

Things like this do not normally happen.”

Searches in Barton where the dead man was found continued into yesterday.

The junction of North Way and Burchester Avenue was closed to allow police to continue their investigations. It has since been reopened.

The victim has not yet been formally identified.

Officers renewed their appeal for anyone who saw a red Mazda car in Barton or surrounding areas on Tuesday to contact them on 101.