A CRASH closed a section of the M40 after a driver was seen travelling the wrong way.

Police confirmed a 4x4 pulling a caravan drove on the wrong side of the M40 between junction 7 and 6 at about 4pm on Monday.

TUESDAY UPDATE - police confirm deaths in crash 

It was heading southbound on the northbound carriageway and then was involved in a crash with two other vehicles.

Emergency services including the air ambulance were sent to the crash and one image tweeted from the scene shows a caravan among several vehicles involved.

There has not yet been an update on the severity of injuries from the crash.

West Oxfordshire councillor Colin Dingwall saw the car and caravan heading the wrong way in the outside lane, and told the Oxford Mail: “I’ve seen a lot of things in my 50 years on the road, but never a caravan coming the wrong way up the M40.

“Luckily I and the cars near me managed to pull into the middle lane and get out of the way.

“He must have been going about 60mph. It was a car with foreign plates pulling a caravan. It didn’t look to be slowing down.

“I had about two seconds to react.”

According to Traffic England's online map, the road closure was expected to be lifted by 11.45pm - FOR THE LATEST ON ROAD CLOSURE CLICK HERE 

The road is closed northbound between Junction 6 and Junction 8A, and there were traffic queues tailing back 14 miles at 5pm. 

It remained shut at 11pm and drivers were being diverted via signs with a hollow square symbol.

Oxfordshire County Council said the road will likely be closed for a 'number of hours'. 

Southbound traffic was temporarily held to assist with the northbound closure, and was also partly blocked due to debris.

Highways England tweeted shortly after 5pm confirming that southbound traffic had been released.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said the road will be closed for a 'substantial' length of time. 

Northbound traffic was allowed to turn round and join the southbound M40 after a 'gate' was cut out of the central reservation, and traffic was also passing on the hard shoulder.

Police now want anyone with footage of the car or the crash to contact them.

Call on 101 or CLICK HERE quoting reference 832 (15/10).

Oxford Mail:

Traffic camera image from Highways England near J6

Oxford Bus Company's Airline and X90 services were running with delays and are unable to serve Lewknor.

All emergency services were sent to deal with the crash. 

Liz Hindmarsh tweeted: "My husband had to swerve into the middle lane otherwise he’d have been hit by the caravan travelling the wrong way down the M40 in the outside (fast) lane."

Oxford Mail:

Traffic shown on Google Maps on the M40 at 5pm