A MAN who died after his car crashed head first into a 4x4 travelling the wrong way along the M40 in South Oxfordshire has been named.

Stuart Richards, aged 32, from Stockport, Cheshire, was one of three people to be killed in the tragedy on Monday, police have confirmed.

Police have also revealed today that the Subaru Forester driven on the rwroing side was involved in another crash just days before.

The force confirmed it had received reports of a damage-only road traffic collision involving the 4X4 on October 10.

The horrific events unfolded after the Subaru sped the wrong way up the M40 northbound carriageway before colliding with Mr Richard’s Ford Mondeo and another car, a Ford Focus, near Tetsworth.

The driver and passenger in the Subaru, both aged in their eighties, were also killed and are yet to be formally identified.

Thames Valley Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in relation to the fatal collision.

The Subaru is registered in the UK, despite earlier reports suggesting it was bearing a foreign number plate at the time of the M40 crash.

The carriageway was closed for 14 hours while emergency services attended and resurfacing work took place, and re-opened the following morning.