by Tricia Jamieson

A 24-year-old woman from New Romney died in a three-vehicle crash last night.

The black Ford Ka she was driving caught fire after the collision and she died at the scene.

The accident happened at 11.40pm on the A2070 halfway between Ashford and Hamstreet and also involved a dark blue Peugeot Partner van and a blue BMW 5 series.

The BMW driver is in a serious but stable condition in hospital. The van driver suffered minor injuries.

The van and the BMW were travelling towards Ashford and the Ka was being driven in the opposite direction when the accident happened.

Det Sgt Scott Lynch, of the Kent Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "The Ka subsequently caught fire and sadly the driver, a 24-year-old woman from the New Romney area, died at the scene."

The driver of the BMW, a 53-year-old man from the Sittingbourne area, was taken to the William Harvey Hospital at Ashford with multiple injuries.

The van driver, a 49-year-old man from the Hamstreet area, was taken to the William Harvey Hospital with minor injuries and was later discharged. None of the vehicles were carrying passengers.

Det Sgt Lynch said: "We are appealing for witnesses to the collision itself but also to anyone who remembers seeing any of the three vehicles on the A2070 before the collision occurred.

"We are particularly keen to talk to the driver of a foreign-registered car which we believe was in the area at the time and may have witnessed what happened.

"There is absolutely no suggestion they were involved in the collision, but they could have important information that could help our investigation."

The road was closed until 7.30am Saturday while the collision was investigated and the vehicles recovered.

Anyone with information should call 01622 798538.