A woman has been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries following a crash between her car and a lorry on the Maidstone-bound carriageway of the A249 near Sittingbourne.

It happened at 12.40pm, about 350 yards before the Stockbury roundabout.

It took firefighters an hour to cut the woman free from the wreckage of her car.

Police say there are severe delays to traffic and motorists are advised to avoid the area at this time.

Kent Police's serious collision investigation unit officers are at the scene and motorists can expect delays for the next two or three hours.

Traffic is being diverted from the A249 Maidstone-bound carriageway before the Stockbury roundabout. Vehicles are leaving the A249 at the Bobbing slip road, joining the Key Street roundabout and leaving at the Chestnut Street turn-off to rejoin the road at the Stockbury roundabout.

The slip road at the Bobbing roundabout (known locally at the McDonald ' s roundabout) which joins the A249 Maidstone-bound road is also closed.