A historic concrete pillar was left tilting towards a road after a car crashed into the wall supporting it.

Emergency services shut London Road and part of St Leonard's Road in Deal for almost nine hours yesterday while they removed the unsupported structure and made the area safe.

It followed an early hour crash, adjacent to Victoria Hospital, which resulted in one man being taken to hospital for treatment. His current condition is not known.

A spokesman said: "Kent Police was called at 2.09am on Sunday, August 4 to a single vehicle collision in St Leonard’s Road, Deal.

"It was reported that a car had been involved in a collision with some roadside railings and a building.

"Officers attended the scene alongside the South East Coast Ambulance Service and Kent Fire and Rescue Service.

"One man was taken to a local hospital for treatment a road closure was enforced to ensure public safety.

"The closure was lifted at around 11.10am."

The pillar boasts some historical importance to the town.

It is connected to the Rev Thomas Stanley Treanor (1837-1910), chaplain for 32 years to the Missions to Seamen, Deal and the Downs Branch.

Treanor lived at The Laurels, a grand house adjacent to the War Memorial Hospital.

The tall brick ballcapped edifice which has puzzled passers-by for decades is said to be a replica of the watch tower that once rose above the house and gave Treanor unrivalled view over his maritime parish.

Treanor was well known for organising an annual summer concert at the Pier Pavilion in aid of funds for the Mission to Seamen.

He was frequently invited to speak to church congregations of the dangers that beset mariners, the perils of lifeboatmen and aims of the society.

Treanor died in November 1910, aged 74, and is buried in an untended grave beneath a spreading yew in Deal Cemetery.

He had eight children and married three times.

Read more: All the latest news from Deal