ONE man was seriously injured when two lorries collided, spilling 20 tons of soil on to the road.

Both lorries were heading towards the Medway Tunnel on the A289 Wainscott Bypass shortly after the M2 turn-off when the accident happened at about 2.30pm on Wednesday.

One of the drivers suffered serious head injuries when the lorries crashed and overturned. The other driver escaped with minor injuries.

Emergency crews were in a race against time to cut one of the drivers from his cab before dark to enable the Kent Air Ambulance to help.

His large container lorry was carrying the soil which covered both lanes of the dual carriageway after the crash. The clear-up operation meant the road was closed for nearly six hours.

Sub officer Mark Rosier, from Strood Fire and Rescue, said: "It’s unclear how these two lorries came together as they were both heading in the same direction.

"One driver was trapped in his cab and we had to use our cutting equipment to get him out."