Severe delays are being experienced by motorists across Oxfordshire as the return-to-work and school continues this morning.

On the M40 one lane of the northbound carriageway remains closed between junctions 8a and 9, Oxford and Bicester, after a two vehicle smash.

And on many minor routes drivers were reporting their journeys were taking longer than normal.

Motorists have reported two particularly bad routes — the A40 from Wheatley into the Green Road Roundabout at Headington with delays of half-an-hour and the A41 into Bicester, where vehicles were stuck in miles of rush-hour queues.

In and around Didoct, heavy queuing traffic is reported in Hagbourne Road and Park Road, while traffic at Milton Interchange off the A34 is moving slowly in all directions due to a backlog.

Traffic in and around Chipping Norton, west Oxfordshire, is also reported as moving very slowly.

The heavy delays have been blamed on the icy condition of the roads and a higher volume of cars on the road as thousands of children return to school for the first time this year.

Across Oxfordshire, council gritters continue to salt the roads around-the-clock.

Oxford Bus Company has started running services in and out of the Barton estate.

Number 8 services had been suspended this morning because of the icy roads.

Meanwhile, there are 30 minute delays on First Great Western services between Oxford and Moreton-in-Marsh.

Oxfordshire County Council spokesman Paul Smith said: “We have had a small number of deliveries of salt and we expect some more over the next couple of days.

“We are always keeping an eye on the forecast and the gritting operation will continue.”