TWO 16-year-old boys have been banned from driving and sentenced to a referral order after taking a car and crashing into a tree.

The teenagers, one from near Wallingford, and the other from near Henley, took a Vauxhall Corsa without the owner's consent before leaving the road and colliding with a tree in Days Lane, Ewelme, earlier this year.

At the time, police said two of boys suffered 'life-threatening' head injuries following the crash.

RECAP: Underage driver crashes Corsa into tree 

Two rear seat passengers, both 16, sustained serious injuries and one remains in a rehabilitation unit, while the other has since been discharged from hospital.

At Oxford Youth Court yesterday, the boys pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and injury caused by accident, using a motor vehicle on a road/public place without third party insurance and driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a license.

They were sentenced to a 12-month referral order and disqualified from driving for 12 months, while no action was taken against the two injured boys.

The legal driving age in the UK 17.

Investigating officer PC Sandra Terry, of the Serious Collisions Investigation Unit based at Bicester, said: “This was an avoidable incident which unfortunately left two boys with serious injuries.

“I hope this serves as a message to others that taking and driving a vehicle without the consent of the owners and without appropriate learning can be ultimately very dangerous to others.”