CONCERNS about an elderly man's driving had been passed to police just days before he was involved in a fatal crash on the M40.

The South Oxfordshire tragedy happened on October 15, in which three people died - John Norton, 80 and Olive Howard, 87, both from High Wycombe, and 32-year-old Stuart Richards from Stockport.

READ AGAIN: Police name elderly pair involved in 'wrong way' M40 smash

Shortly before the crash near Tetsworth, other drivers had described how Mr Norton had been driving his Subaru towing a caravan the wrong way along the motorway.

Police regulator the IOPC is now investigating how a report of concerns over Mr Norton's driving was handled by police five days earlier. 

On Wednesday, October 10, the force received a report of a damage-only collision in High Wycombe in which a Subaru struck a parked car.

The owner of the parked car was sitting in his vehicle at the time and alerted the Subaru driver. 

They exchanged details and the owner of the parked car reported the incident to the police via 999.

An an online report submitted to police the following day, he raised concerns over the Subaru driver’s fitness to drive and the safety of other road users as a result.

In a statement released this evening, the IOPC's regional director Sarah Green said: "Clearly the events on the M40 motorway are terribly tragic and the families of those who died and all of those affected have my deepest sympathies.

"We are examining whether the response from Thames Valley Police adhered to relevant guidelines and policies when concerns were raised over the driver’s abilities five days ahead of the fatal collision. 

"We are also looking to see whether there are any areas for potential amendments to policies and practices which may assist in reducing the likelihood of something this devastating occurring again.” 

Thames Valley Police had referred the matter to the IOPC itself.

The Subaru Forester had been travelling south on the northbound carriageway at about 4pm, when it collided with a Ford Mondeo and a Ford Focus. 

READ AGAIN: Three people die in M40 caravan crash