A van driver killed in a crash is reported to have collided with a trailer that came loose from a flatbed truck.

Police say the man, who was in his 50s, was driving a blue Ford Transit on the A252 Canterbury Road between Charing and Challock at the time of the fatal crash shortly before 7am.

A trailer being pulled by a white Iveco flatbed van travelling towards Charing is said to have become detached before colliding with the Transit, which was heading in the other direction.

Emergency services attended the crash site, near the junction with Monkery Lane, but despite the best efforts of paramedics the Transit driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The road between Faversham Road, Charing, and Green Lane remained shut throughout the day and into the evening. It has since reopened.

A spokesperson for South East Coast Ambulance Service said: “SECAmb were called shortly after 7am this morning to reports of a road traffic collision near Charing Hill in Ashford.

“Sadly, despite the efforts of all those involved, the person died at the scene.”

Witnesses and dashcam footage are now being sought by officers from Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU).

Anyone who witnessed the collision or saw the vehicles beforehand should call the SCIU witness appeal line on 01622 798538, or email sciu.td@kent.police.uk, quoting HW/CF/35/24.

Dashcam footage can also be submitted on this link.

The man’s next of kin have been informed.