A man was killed when his car hit a bridge and burst into flames at a notorious accident blackspot.

The man, aged 41, was travelling towards Aylesbury on the busy A41 when his red Peugeot 405 saloon veered off the road and hit the Blackthorn railway bridge, near Bicester.

The car caught fire after hitting the parapet of the bridge, at around 11am yesterday morning, and ambulance crews pronounced the man dead at the scene.

The man has not been named until his relatives have been informed of his death. No-one else was involved in the crash.

More than a dozen vehicles have ploughed into the bridge since 1990, forcing nearby residents to put up posters and call for safety measures to be introduced.

Electronic warning signs were moved back to give drivers extra warning in 1995 after a 13-tonne lorry container hit the bridge and over-turned on to a passing car, killing the driver.

Highways officials have considered a variety of solutions to the speeding problem, including lowering the road ben- eath the bridge, but no practical long-term answer has been found.

Catherine Fulljames, who represents Blackthorn on Oxfordshire County Council, has actively campaigned against speeding under the bridge and presented a petition to the council two years ago.

She said: "Everything possible has been done to slow traffic down including using speed cameras and height detectors for lorries. What more can we do?"

Police are appealing for witnesses to call Pc Howard Davies on 01296 396105.

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