A DRIVER was killed after the car they were driving crashed into a parked lorry and caught fire.

The green Ford Focus struck the Renault lorry parked in a layby on the northbound A34, between Islip and Kidlington junctions, at about 5.20am today.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers are trying to identify the victim, who was driving alone, and said the cause is not yet known. Their gender has not been released.

The back of the lorry also caught fire. The driver was not injured and did not need hospital treatment.

And there were further delays when a car struck the back of a 4x4 in the tailback.

Thames Valley Police said: “A green Ford Focus collided with a Renault articulated lorry parked in a layby. The Ford Focus caught fire on impact resulting in a significant fire affecting both vehicles.

“The driver of the Ford Focus was declared dead at the scene and enquiries are ongoing to identify the deceased.”

The lorry was parked in a layby within layby, just before where the Bletchingdon Road passes over the A34.

Thames Valley Police closed the northbound road following the incident.

A Citroen Saxo then drove into the back of a Land Rover at 9.30am about 200 metres before the fatal collision site, causing further delays.

Firefighters cut off the roof of the car to free the 18-year-old Saxo driver over concerns that she had suffered an injury to her neck.

She was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford with minor injuries. The Land Rover driver was unharmed.

Police appealed for witnesses to who saw the collision or the Ford Focus prior to the collision.

Anyone with information should contact PC 3815 Sarah Holmwood on 08458 505505.