Suicide, drink and drug driving were behind a number of this year's fatal crashes in Oxfordshire, a policing chief has said.

Thames Valley police and crime commissioner Matthew Barber has revealed the causes for some of the seven road deaths since the start of the new year.

A succession of horror crashes have claimed the lives of five men and two women on highways across the county.

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The tragedies have sparked a road safety debate between Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council.

The council's highways chief Andrew Gant believes the force must do more to cut the number of lives lost on the roads.

In his response, Mr Barber claimed some of the fatal crashes could not have been prevented by police action.

In a letter to Mr Gant, which has been seen by the Oxford Mail, he said: “Without wishing to stray into the issue of live investigations, it seems clear that a number of the tragic deaths we have seen over the last month have been the result of criminal acts such as drink or drug driving.

“The increased enforcement that the police have been conducting will not prevent each case, but effective targeting alongside encouraging reporting can help to tackle this issue.

“Sadly in a number of the cases we have seen this month, medical issues, fallen trees and tragically even suicide all seem to have contributed to these numbers.

“The loss of life is no less important in such circumstances, but these are cases in which police enforcement will have no influence.”