Another motorist has died on the same stretch of road in north Oxfordshire where a young doctor was killed by a reckless driver.

The man, who has not been named, died when a car crashed into a tree alongside the A4260 south of Deddington at 3.45pm.

A second man travelling in the Ford Mondeo was last night in a critical condition at the John Radcliffe Hospital with head injuries. The crash happened less than a mile from where 26-year-old Dr Margaret Davidson was killed when a speeding teenage driver crashed head-on into her car in May.

Ten motorists have died on the A4260 between Shipton-on-Cherwell and Banbury in the past six years. Banbury MP Tony Baldry said: "It's an appalling tragedy. It's fair to say that stretch of road has been a problem for the past 20 years. It's difficult to say what more anyone can do to make it safe.

"But given that we now have two fatalities in a short period of time, it will be sensible for the police and the county council to see whether there's any more that can be done."

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said it was not believed any other vehicle was involved in yesterday's crash. A section of the A4260 was closed between Deddington and Hopcroft Holt for more than three hours while police investigators examined the car and photographed the scene.

A series of other crashes also caused hold-ups for motorists in Oxfordshire yesterday afternoon. Traffic came to a standstill on the M40 near junction 8 after one accident, and on the A34 between Marcham and Hinksey Hill after a crash between a motorbike and a car.

Five cars suffered minor damage in an accident on the A44 just south of Woodstock at about 1.40pm. It caused slight delays.