A foreign lorry became stuck under the Newtown railway bridge causing traffic chaos during the morning rush hour.

The blue Mercedes HGV from Austria, carrying construction metalwork, was ripped open after it became trapped under the bridge at Newtown Road, Ashford at 8.30am.

Police closed off the road at both ends leading to long tailbacks.

Trains travelling on the Southern Railway line between Ashford and Hastings were delayed for up to 20 minutes while Network Rail engineers inspected the damage. Services returned to normal just before midday.

The lorry was freed from the bridge just after 10am and the road was reopened later this morning.

The two old bridges were removed and the main Hastings line bridge was raised and widened in a 10 month project.

The scheme, which was intended to accommodate bigger modern buses such as those which will use the Smartlink service, was completed in December 2008.