A MOTORIST was trapped for two hours in the wreckage of his car after a crash on the Thanet Way that caused commuter chaos.

The driver of a Toyota Corolla struck a concrete bollard at the Yorkletts turn-off near Whitstable, on the London-bound carriageway of the A299.

The male driver, who was alone in his car, took the impact on his side of the vehicle, which pushed the bottom of his door in and pinned his feet together.

Metal from underneath the car went right into his foot, adding to his pain as well as making the job of freeing him that much more difficult.

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "Normal procedure involving a trapped motorist is after a frontal impact. This was taken on the driver's side, which meant we had very little space in which to move.

"We had men underneath the car cutting away with electric saws, hacksaws, hydraulic equipment, spanners, pliers, all sorts.

"As we got nearer to his trapped feet, the people cutting away could no longer see what they were doing so other men had to act as their 'eyes'."

The man, believed to be in his mid-twenties, was freed after two hours. Both carriageways of the Thanet Way remained closed to allow the Kent Air Ambulance helicopter to land.

He was flown to Kent and Canterbury Hospital after last Thursday's incident. He was later said to be in a stable condition and a police spokesman confirmed his leg injuries were not life-threatening.