A stretch of the M2 has closed for hours after a serious crash near a Kent service station today.
Traffic delays are building up on the M2 near Maidstone after a collision involving one car. The vehicle overturned and landed on its roof in the ditch near the Medway services on the London-bound lane.
Motorists have been caught in road closures after the incident shortly before 1pm on Christmas Eve, sparking a huge emergency response.
The motorway remains closed westbound between junction J5 Sittingbourne and J4 Rainham due to a crash investigation led by the police.
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The road is likely to remain closed through the afternoon, National Highways warned.
Footage shows frustrated drivers stepping out of their vehicles after traffic was ground to a halt.
Kent Police said: ‘We are currently at the scene of a serious collision on the M2 London-bound near the Medway services. The motorway is closed between Junctions 5 and 4 and will remain so for an extended period of time. Thank you for your patience.’
It said: ‘The collision, reported to National Highways at 12:58pm is a single vehicle collision which has struck the central reservation barrier and has come to rest in an overturned position.
‘Kent Police lead the response to this incident and the initial response this incident was supported by the South East Coast Ambulance Service and Kent Fire & Rescue Service.
‘Due to the seriousness of the incident, Kent Police are carrying out detailed collision investigations at the scene. This process is essential to establish the circumstances of the incident, which means the closure is expected to remain in place throughout the afternoon.’
Christmas Eve is one of the busiest days on UK roads, with 22.7 million journeys expected. The peak of the festive getaways was on Friday, December 19, when around 24.4 million trips were predicted.
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