A small plane has been destroyed and the pilot injured after crashing into a block of flats in Oxfordshire, emergency services have said.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said it arrived at the scene of the collision in Upper Heyford, near Bicester, at around 12.18pm on Saturday.

The service shared a dramatic photograph of the crumpled aircraft beside the damaged exterior wall of a property, which Thames Valley Police (TVP) said was an empty block of flats near Camp Road.

A spokesperson for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said one person was taken to hospital following the crash, which TVP identified as the pilot.

The fire service said: “At 12.18 today crews from Bicester, Deddington and Banbury supported by our specialist rescue tender crew from Kidlington fire station and water carrier from Wheatley attended to support our colleagues from Thames Valley Police and South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust with a light aircraft crash at Upper Heyford.

“Crews worked closely with our colleagues from other agencies to bring the incident to a safe conclusion with one person being taken to hospital.”

TVP urged anyone with footage of the crash or information to contact the force.

A spokesperson said: “The aircraft crashed into an unoccupied block of flats near Camp Road in Upper Heyford at about midday,

“The pilot is in hospital but no-one else was injured.

“Anyone with footage or info, call 101 quoting 857.”

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said it has launched an investigation and inspectors have begun searches at the scene.

The branch said: “An accident in Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, involving a light aircraft has been notified to the AAIB.

“An investigation has been launched into the accident and a team of inspectors are at the accident site gathering evidence.”