A 79-year-old woman died today following a crash between a car and a van on a sharp bend near Stanford in the Vale.

The accident happened at 9.40am on the B4508, at the junction with Bow Road, about a mile from Stanford in the Vale.

The crash site is between Hatford and Gainfield, just past the Stanford in the Vale turn and opposite the Grey Fox Racing Stables.

For years, residents have been concerned about the dangerous bend and last night called for new road safety measures to be introduced.

A blue Renault Master van, travelling in the direction of Gainfield from Hatford, and the woman's silver Peugeot 106, travelling in the opposite direction, were involved in the collision.

Claire Gourlay, a spokesman for Thames Valley Police, said the driver of the Peugeot, who was from Buckland, near Faringdon, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The male driver of the van, aged 19, who is thought to be from Oxfordshire, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Gerry McMorrow, a spokesman for Stanford in the Vale Parish Council, said: "The county council has installed markings on Bow Road nearer the village to encourage drivers to slow down. Those measures were introduced earlier this year, following repeated lobbying by the parish council.

"However, there is still a 60mph limit on the bend where the crash happened and the limit should be reduced to 40mph at the bend, which is very sharp.

"There are often near misses at that point and a lot of people will think this was an accident waiting to happen.

"Everyone is shocked by this tragedy and we will be renewing calls to the county council for new road safety measures around the village as a result.

"Now there has been a fatal accident the county council's highways officers will have to give the situation their urgent attention.

"We also want weight restrictions on entry roads to the village because lorry drivers are using their sat navs to take short cuts and this is endangering pedestrians."

Following the crash, drivers were diverted after police accident investigators closed the road.

The road was shut between Gainfield crossroads and the Bow Road junction with the A417 while the vehicles were recovered.

The van being driven by the 19-year-old was owned by RH Claydon, a specialist tyre wholesaler, from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.

Spokesman Mark Goodchild said: "We are still trying to find out what happened from the police."

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has any information should call PC Roy Fuller on 08458 505505.