DELAYS have now cleared on the M40 after a vehicle hit the central reservation earlier this afternoon

The collision happened at Junction 9 near Bicester at around 1pm and Highways England tweeted that the outside lane on both the northbound and southbound carriageways were closed.

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It said there was extensive damage to the central reservation.

Speed was reduced to 40mph and Thames Valley Police managed to get ahead of traffic southbound to slow down vehicles.

It is not yet known whether anyone was hurt.

Drivers were expected to experience delays of up to 30 minutes on the M40.