Motorists drove past the body of a man killed in a suspected hit and run accident on the A40 in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The 37-year-old man was struck by a lorry at 5.50am while walking down the A40 in a crash which brought traffic heading into Oxford to a near standstill.

The victim, who is yet to be formally identified, was walking in the middle of the A40, near the A34 flyover, when he collided with a lorry heading towards Oxford.

The man, who is not from the area, was dragged a few hundred metres down the road and scenes of crimes officers spent yesterday morning investigating the crash scene.

Insp Steve Bridges of Thames Valley Police said: "I can understand why a few people may not have stopped.

"It was a very dark road and there is no street lighting. Perhaps you can give some people the benefit of the doubt that they didn't know what they were driving past.

"There may have been drivers who didn't stop - that type of behaviour is appalling. People ought to realise that could have been their relative, their next of kin lying in the road and we should do more to help people."

Two drivers stopped to give what first aid they could to the injured man, but he later died.

Last night, police arrested a man on suspicion of failing to stop at the scene of an accident and careless driving. They also seized a goods vehicle in connection with the investigation.

They are still appealing for anyone who witnessed the crash to come forward.

Investigating officer Sgt Dave Milson said: "We are very keen to speak to motorists who used that stretch of road this morning or maybe saw the victim before or after the collision."

The A40 between Wolvercote roundabout and Eynsham roundabout was closed from 6am until just after midday while scenes of crime officers collected evidence.

Rush-hour traffic from the west of Oxfordshire ground to a halt as motorists were diverted off the A40 through Eynsham to enter Oxford from Botley.

The A40 between the Eynsham roundabout and Witney also began to resemble a car park as motorists queued to get into Eynsham.

Instead of the usual 25 minutes, it took some motorists two and a half hours to get from Witney to the city centre.