MOTORISTS experienced severe delays on roads across Oxfordshire yesterday morning as thousands returned to work and school.

During rush hour, one lane of the M40 northbound carriageway was closed between junctions 8a and nine, Oxford and Bicester, after a two-vehicle smash.

And, although South Central Ambulance Service reported no significant incidents, drivers on many routes reported their journeys were taking much longer than normal.

Two routes were particularly badly affected first thing yesterday.

Drivers experienced half-hour delays on the A40 from Wheatley into the Green Road Roundabout at Headington, while motorists on the A41 into Bicester were stuck in miles of rush-hour queues.

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

Traffic in and around Chipping Norton, west Oxfordshire, was also reported to be moving very slowly.

The heavy delays were blamed on the icy condition of the roads and a higher-than-normal volume of cars, as thousands of children returned to school for the first time this year.

Oxford Bus Company temporarily suspended services in and out of the city’s Barton estate because the roads were so icy, but later resumed its No. 8 services.

Meanwhile, on the railways, there were 30-minute delays on First Great Western services between Oxford and Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.

Oxfordshire County Council said gritters would continue to salt the roads today. 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 our gritting operation will continue.”

l Post should be getting through to “the majority” of Oxfordshire residents after major disruptions last week due to the weather.

A spokesman for the Royal Mail said: “We are doing everything we can to keep the mail moving, but we have faced major difficulties in some areas because of the extreme weather conditions and, unfortunately, some services were severely disrupted.

“We are attempting deliveries where we can safely do so and we are now able to reach the majority of addresses in the area.

“We apologise to customers.”

gsheldrick@oxfordmail.co.uk