A driver injured in a horrific head-on collision believes she is lucky to have survived the crash.

Geraldine Allinson's BMW was completely destroyed when it collided with an oncoming car outside Smarden, near Ashford.

The Charing resident, who was chairman of the KM Group for 13 years, had just picked up her dog Barley after returning home from holiday when the incident happened.

She was driving from Smarden towards Pluckley at the time of the collision.

"When I reached a railway bridge, another car came in the other direction," said Mrs Allinson, who says she was driving on the correct side of the road.

"Everything happened in seconds – I didn't have time to react and we hit each other, both going at about 30 to 40mph.

"When it happened, it was hard to adjust, and while I don't believe I was unconscious at any point the first thing I really remember was a voice coming from my car."

In-built technology in Mrs Allinson's vehicle had detected that its airbags had deployed, alerted a call centre that an accident may have happened.

"There was a man asking me through the car's intercom if I was OK, and he was the one who called emergency services," she explained.

"While the police and ambulances arrived, the other driver had managed to get out and was checking on me, but I could not get out.

"The emergency services were all fantastic, and several other drivers stopped to help – one kept me calm and talking, while another was kind enough to take my dog to the vet to check him over."

Both drivers were taken to the William Harvey Hospital, and amazingly – despite the condition of the vehicles – escaped without serious injury.

Mrs Allinson, who stood down from her role with the KM Group in 2019 and was awarded an OBE for services to local media in the following year, is now recovering at home.

"My foot is in quite a bit of pain and I cannot walk at the moment, but realistically other than that, and a couple of bruises and one cut that needed stitching, I was completely unharmed," she said.

"I look back on it all really and think that I was lucky to survive.

"It is sore, but when you look at those photos, it is almost miraculous that it was not worse for either of us."

A police spokesman said: "We were called to a two-car collision in Pluckley Road at 12.35pm on Wednesday.

"Officers attended along with the ambulance service and two people were taken to hospital.

"The road was blocked following the incident but was cleared by 2.30pm."

Police enquiries into the incident are ongoing.