A 27-year-old man has died following a crash on the M40 that saw four people flee the scene on foot. The fatal collision happened at around 1.15am on Saturday, July 12, on the northbound carriageway near Junction 2 for Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

Police said the crash involved a black Volkswagen Golf and a blue Mercedes AMG C250, both travelling northbound. The driver of the Golf, a 27-year-old man from High Wycombe, was killed in the crash. His passenger, a man in his 20s, was seriously injured and taken to hospital.

Thames Valley Police said four occupants of the Mercedes, two men and two women, ran from the scene on foot.

Officers are now working to identify and locate them.

A 26-year-old man from Beaconsfield has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and possession of a bladed article. He remains in custody.

Detective Sergeant Edward Crofts said that witnesses reported the Mercedes had been “driven erratically” in the moments before the crash.

He added: “The family of the man who has died are being supported by specially trained officers at this extremely difficult time.

“I am appealing to anybody who was driving on that stretch of the M40 in the early hours of this morning and witnessed the collision to please get in touch.”

Fire crews and ambulance services also attended the scene, and the motorway was closed for several hours while emergency services dealt with the incident.

A diversion was put in place between Junction 2 and the M25 interchange at Denham.

The junction is a key route for drivers heading to Heathrow Airport and connecting to the M1, M4 and M11.

Anyone with dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Thames Valley Police.