Two soldiers will receive a police escort when their bodies are driven through Oxfordshire today.

Thames Valley Police was forced to apologise earlier this week after it was revealed hearses carrying dead servicemen were left to fend for themselves in Oxfordshire because the force's motorbikes are out of action due to safety fears.

Three police cars will be dispatched to escort the cortege and bodies of Senior Aircraftsmen Gary Thompson, 51, and Graham Livingstone, 23, after they are flown to RAF Lyneham, near Swindon.

The officers will escort the cortege from the border with Wiltshire to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital for post mortem examinations to be carried out.