A LORRY driver cheated death after his vehicle careered into a brick wall and knocked down an overhead power cable pole.

The man escaped with minor injuries as he was left trapped in his overturned with live cables brought down.

Dartford firefighter David Boakes said: "It was a potentially very dangerous situation. It is amazing he is still alive."

The accident happened just before 6am on Thursday at Green Street Green, near Dartford, close to the Gills Road junction.

Witnesses reported that the articulated lorry had lost control, hit the kerb and crossed the road, smashing through a wall and toppling the pole.

Mr Boakes, the watch manager at Dartford Fire Station, said: "The lorry had embedded itself into the wall and the cables had been brought down. We had to free the man by cutting away the windscreen. Thankfully it took only 10 minutes to get him out."

The driver sustained a shoulder injury and cuts and bruises and was still able to walk.

He was taken to hospital by ambulance. Seeboard workers were called in to make the electric cables safe. Traffic gridlock resulted in the area as drivers tried to find alternative routes to get to work.