A man in his 70s was taken to a London hospital with serious injuries after a car crash that closed a busy section of the A2 at Chatham for six hours last night.

Four elderly people had to be freed from the wreckage of their Toyota Yaris after it collided with a stationary vehicle near Chatham Grammar School for Girls just after 7pm.

Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the accident on the Rainham Road, near the junction of Rock Avenue.

Firefighters used hydraulic cutting equipment to free the occupants. Paramedics and police teams were at the scene.

The road was shut in both directions at Rock Avenue, near the school and did not reopen until 12.55 am this morning.

Their car, which was travelling towards Chatham, crashed into a parked unattended BMW.

A Kent police spokesman said: “Police were called to a reported two-car collision in Chatham Hill, Chatham, at 7.09pm on Friday 19 February.

“South East Coast Ambulance and Kent Fire and Rescue Service are also at the scene and a road closure is currently being enforced.

“Four people are reported to have been taken to hospital."