BUS company Stagecoach has confirmed that no passengers were on its bus that burst into flames last night.

The bus caught fire just before 8pm on the Oxford ring road.

The driver was not hurt.

Chris Coleman, managing director of Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, says:"The safety of our passengers and employees is our priority. Following an incident on the Eastern bypass this evening we are working with the authorities and helping them with their investigation.

"At this stage we can confirm that the Stagecoach bus involved was not in service and that no passengers were on board at the time of the incident. We can also confirm that the driver of the bus is thankfully unhurt."

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Fire crews from Slade Park, Rewley Road and Wheatley stations managed to tackle the fire which was on the northbound carriageway.

Due to the significant fire both sides of the bypass were closed for around an hour.

Oxford Mail:

Thames Valley Police, South Central Ambulance Service and bus company representatives all attended the scene.

Fire fighters worked with recovery and police to enable the vehicle to be moved to re-open the southbound carriageway.