A woman had to be cut from the wreckage of her car after a road crash which caused traffic chaos for almost an hour.

One motorist said he thought she was “lucky to be alive” after seeing the smashed remains of the car in a field next to the A249.

Both sides of the Sheppey Crossing were closed on Saturday after the incident in which the car left the road and ended up in a field near the former Humphrey’s Loop lay-by.

The woman was cut free by two fire crews from the Island and Sittingbourne. Firefighters removed the roof of the car to get her out.

She escaped with only minor injuries and was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital.

The bridge was closed by police at about 1.40pm, the Sittingbourne-bound side reopened shortly afterwards.

The Sheppey-bound carriageway of the crossing was not opened until 2.10pm leaving motorists queueing to get to the Island.

A police spokesman said: “The opposite side of the bridge was opened quite quickly to allow people off the Island. We had to keep the other side closed because we did not want people hurtling over the bridge.”

One motorist said he thought the bridge had been closed due to high winds.

He added: “But when I saw police escorting cars across the bridge I knew there had been an accident. I had to get to the old bridge to escape but I was still delayed. I passed the car on Sunday and it looked bad.”

Another motorist said: “The car was smashed, anyone would have been lucky to get out of that alive.”

Police are investigating whether the woman had insurance.

Do you know who the woman is? Call the newsroom on 01795 580300.