THE drivers of two cars were taken to hospital with 'serious injuries' after their vehicles smashed into each other in a head-on crash.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the vehicles were travelling in opposite directions on the A361 Bloxham Road in Banbury at 7.44pm yesterday when they collided.

Both drivers were trapped and were assisted by a passing doctor before fire crews and paramedics arrived.

Firefighters used specialist rescue and cutting equipment to free them and they were then transported to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Their current condition is not known.

Watch manager Dave Edge from Banbury Fire Station said: "The two vehicles were badly damaged in the impact and the resulting debris field was a clear indication of the serious nature of the incident.

"Our teams worked closely with the ambulance service to ensure that we freed  the injured people from the wreckage as soon as possible.”

Station manager Mick Clarke, the fire service road safety manager, added: "This collision occurred on a rural road, in the early evening and whilst the cause is not known at this time, I would like to remind road users of the demands of driving on rural roads.

"Nationally, 59 per cent of road fatalities occur on rural roads and in 2015, 10,307 people were killed or seriously injured on country roads in Great Britain.

"Whilst lives were not lost on this occasion, the collision was a serious one.

"Please take care whilst driving."