Egham crash: Investigation after passenger crushed by tree

Image caption, The man who died was trapped in the car but four other occupants managed to escape

An investigation has begun into why a tree fell on a car on a busy road, killing one of its passengers.

A man was declared dead at the scene after firefighters cut him free from the wreckage of the Lexus on the A308 in Egham, Surrey, on Sunday.

Four other people inside the car - three females and a male - were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Police are investigating the death while Surrey County Council conducts the tree-clearing operation.

Windsor Road remained closed between Priest Hill and the M25 junction all day on Monday as police continued their investigations and work on clearing the large tree continued.

Police have appealed for witnesses and dash-cam footage from around the time of the accident, which happened near the Runnymede memorials and Magna Carta monument, just after 16:00 GMT.

Image caption, The road remained closed on Monday as the tree was removed

A spokeswoman said: "We are particularly looking for anyone who was driving there prior to the [collision] and saw the tree overhanging or had concerns about it."

No other vehicle was involved.

The spokeswoman said there had not yet been formal identification of the man who died.

The tree-lined road is heavily used by traffic heading to and from the M25.

The National Trust, which owns land around the memorials, said the trees were not on its land.

Surrey County Council, which is the highways authority, confirmed its staff were involved in clearing the tree but has declined to comment on whether it is involved in safety checks along that stretch of highway.

A spokesman said: "This was a tragic incident. The tree was on private land and the police are leading the investigation."