Police have slammed 'inconsiderate and selfish' drivers who removed road closure signs and caused five others to crash their cars after sliding on black ice.

Broughton Lane in Aylesbury was closed yesterday morning, Monday, March 4, after Buckinghamshire Highways teams spotted a "lake" that had accumulated in the middle of the road amid icy weather conditions.

However, Thames Valley Police received a 999 call shortly after the closure had been put in place, stating that five cars had crashed on the stretch - with officers arriving at the scene to find that the closure signs had been removed, presumably by other drivers.

A spokesperson for the force described the removal of the signs as "inconsiderate and selfish" behaviour that had directly caused the series of crashes.

To make matters worse, motorists tried to drive around the sign while the police were still on the road, prompting over 30 vehicles to be stopped by officers and have their registration details taken.

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The spokesperson said: "Road closed means road closed! You cannot go through. There is a reason the roads are closed, and it will be for the safety of you and those around you.

“A couple of the excuses we had were, ‘The sign was only on one side of the road’, but it was on the side the driver was supposed to be driving on, and ‘This road has been closed for ages and it’s always fine when I go down’ – so you regularly contravene the road traffic act?”

Police officers took down the number plates of all the vehicles involved and the associated motorists can expect to receive notices of intended prosecution for careless driving.

Broughton Lane remains closed today, March 5, and will remain so "for some time". Thames Valley Police has warned drivers not to ignore or remove the signs or risk getting a ticket.