A MAN died in hospital after an accident on the A2 early on Saturday morning.

The man was driving along the coastbound carriageway, near Cobham, when his car crossed the central reservation and collided with a black taxi travelling down the London-bound side.

The victim, a 57-year-old from Crayford, had to be cut from his green Rover car by crews from Thameside fire station in Northfleet.

He was taken to Darent Valley Hospital with serious injuries, but he later died. The driver of the taxi escaped with minor injuries.

The accident happened just at 4.17am. Police and collision investigators were working at the scene of the incident all morning.

Tailbacks stretched as far as the M2 at Rochester while investigators closed both carriageways to carry out their investigations.

The coastbound carriageway reopened at 9.30am and the London-bound carriageway reopened just after 11am.

* For the full report see this week’s Gravesend Messenger.