There were rush hour delays for commuters in and around Maidstone today.

A lane of the M20 was closed London-bound between J6 for Detling and J5 for Aylesford due to maintenance work to a bridge there.

Two lanes were expected to be closed until 5pm when lane 2 will be reopened and a 50mph introduced.

After 10pm all lane restrictions will be removed but the speed limit will remain in place.

Works are expected to last up to 10 days.

The problems were made worse by a crash in the same carriageway, just before J3 for the M26 this morning.

The vehicle was moved to the hard shoulder but congestion was reported back to J7 at Detling.

Just after 4pm the London-bound carriageway was blocked again, this time between J7 for Detling and J6 for Blue Bell Hill.

It happened after a car left the road and ended up in a ditch.

About an hour later, emergency services were called to a crash between J8 for Leeds Castle and J9 for Ashford, on the coast-bound carriageway.

At around the same time as the later crash, a multi-vehicle collision partially blocked the slip road onto the London-bound carriageway at J5 for Aylesford.

In Maidstone itself, the town's roads were gridlocked after a lane of the A229 Loose Road was closed due to emergency gas works.

They began yesterday afternoon and the road is not expected to reopen until this evening.

Kent Highways reported queuing traffic in Sheals Crescent, Wat Tyler Way, Mote Road. Fairmeadow and at the Stacey Street roundabout.