A woman has died and two others are fighting for life as freezing fog claims its first victim on the roads and UK temperatures drop to -7C

           Carnage: The aftermath of a crash involving about 20 cars near Witney in Oxfordshire today, which has left a woman dead


A woman has died and two people were seriously injured today after heavy fog descended onto a major road and caused at least 20 vehicles to smash into each other.

The scenes of carnage stretched for more than half a mile on the A40 near Witney in Oxfordshire as the woman driver was declared dead and another man and woman were taken to a hospital’s major trauma unit.

Up to 15 more casualties were treated at the scene of the horrifying crash at about 8.25am which left the mangled wreckage of several cars and debris scattered across the road.

Meanwhile a 60-year-old van driver was also killed today after crashing into a tree in Highclere, Hampshire. The man from Andover died in the wreckage of his Mercedes van after the accident on the A434 at about 4.30am.

Shocking: The A40 has been closed in both directions near Witney after the cars crashed into each other at about 8.25am

On the A40, boxes, clothes, shoes and papers were strewn across the road after it was shut in both directions.

Six vehicles were badly damaged after two collisions at the front and halfway through a queue at about 8.25am.

A further 10 to 15 cars were also involved, with the most serious injuries happening in the middle of the pile-up.