URGENT improvements to the safety of the M40 must be made before there are any more serious accidents on the route, according to a Labour county councillor.

Next week Mark Cherry will submit a motion to Oxfordshire County Council urging members to support changes to the motorway between junctions 8 and 11.

It comes after a 65-year-old man was killed in February last year following a major collision.

More than 30 vehicles were involved in the incident between junctions 9 and 10.

Mr Cherry said: "The memory of last year's pile-up is still with us and although an horrendous accident like that is a rarity, there are too many accidents on the M40, with increased congestion the likely cause.

"There is already going to be a lot of changes in Banbury with all the new homes being built, and that is going to increase the volume of traffic.

"Of course we will also have High Speed Rail 2 traffic at some point too.

"Parts of the Banbury Masterplan will start to come into effect by 2020 but for the M40 it has got to be quicker than that."

Up to 50 people were also assessed by paramedics at the scene following last year's incident.

Drivers described fog covering the road as a "sheet of plastic", which contributed to the crash.

Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter returned a verdict of "accidental death" on the man who died, and wrote to Highways England asking them to consider installing a fog detector on the road.

The accident came 24 years to the day after a similar incident at about the same location, when a young woman died.

The Banbury Calthorpe county councillor added: "If they did a proper forensic look at the M40 there could be more signals or lights warning if there is fog.

"I am very surprised that nothing has been done so far.

"It all comes down to money and funding, and obviously that is something the county council is in short supply of.

"You can put forward a motion but it is no good if it does not get passed, there are lives at stake here.

"If this saves lives then I will have done my job, that is one of the reasons why I serve people after all.

The motion will be discussed by councillors at the next council meeting on Tuesday, April 5.

It will be seconded by Conservative councillor David Nimmo Smith, who is also the council cabinet's member for the environment.

Other motions to be forward by members include government proposals to force schools to become academies, and the upcoming referendum on Great Britain's membership of the European Union.

The meeting on Tuesday will start at 10am at County Hall. Members of the public are welcome to attend.