Drivers are facing delays because of a jackknifed lorry which has closed part of the M20.

It's understood the vehicle was in a collision with a car, trapping it under the back of the trailer, and crossed the central reservation between Junction 8 for Maidstone and Junction 9 for Ashford at around 5.15am.

Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt and the lorry was removed by 9am but the carriageways remained closed in both directions while teams carried out emergency repairs to the barrier.

At about 11.30am, the coast-bound carriageway reopened but it was still shut London-bound.

Diverted traffic faces lengthy delays, with long queues reported on routes in and around Ashford and Maidstone, including the main A20 diversion.

The A20, which runs parallel to the motorway before rejoining the M20 at junction 9 for Ashford, was queuing from Lenham to Leeds, not helped by temporary traffic lights.

A police spokesman said: "Kent Police was called shortly before 5am on Friday, December 4 to a report that a lorry and a car had collided between junction 8 and 9 of the M20. No serious injuries have been reported."

There were delays for motorists on the A251, between Ashford and Faversham, as lorries attempted to negotiate the road, which is narrow in places.

Drivers trying to avoid the closure were also held up by an accident on the A252 at Charing at about 6.40am.

There was also a crash just before 7am in Ware Street, Bearsted, where traffic has been heavier than normal due to the motorway closure.

This afternoon, a spokesman for Highways England said the route had been gritted before last night's snow.

And with a yellow weather warning having been issued for ice overnight tonight and into tomorrow, he added: "Yes, we would be gritting with temperatures dropping.

"Though grit requires people driving over it to break it down, so it can be problematic when fresh snow falls atop it."

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Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone

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