A CAR driver was airlifted to hospital after a five-vehicle pile-up on the A258 between Deal and Sandwich that causes traffic delays.

Fire crews cut the trapped man free by removing the roof from his car to allow the air ambulance paramedics to remove him on a stretcher.

The accident happened yesterday at the Burgess Green Junction on Sandwich Road, near Hacklinge, just before 8.30am.

The air ambulance crew took the man, who has not been named, to hospital in Margate suffering from neck and back injuries. Five other people involved in the accident suffered minor injuries and shock and three were also taken to the hospital. None of the people involved in the crash had life-threatening injuries.

The road was completely closed off between 8.30 and 9.30am, causing rush hour disruptions while the emergency services dealt with the incident.