A busy dual carriageway that was closed for three hours following a two-car crash has re-opened.

The vehicles collided on the London-bound A299 Thanet Way between Thanet and Herne Bay just before 9am.

It happened between Wantsum Way and A28 Canterbury Road at the St Nicholas At Wade roundabout - after a wheelbarrow is believed to have fallen from a van onto the carriageway.

The road was closed London-bound immediately, and the coastbound stretch was also shut at 10am to allow emergency crews to deal with the incident.

Two people were taken to the QEQM hospital in Margate, but their injuries are not thought to be serious.

Stuart Haddow, the driver of the Mondeo, said his car hit the central reservation after he lost control while swerving to avoid the barrow.

He said: "I was driving to the Marlowe Academy to talk about an employability scheme for students when I saw two cars in front move out of the way, the second more violently.

"I was behind in the outside lane and it gave me no time to react at all.

"I managed to avoid the wheelbarrow but I swerved into the central barrier, did a 360 and the airbags went off.

"The first ambulance just happened to be passing the other side of the dual carriageway at exactly the time of the accident.

"They were very nice people and I was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

"I have pulled muscles in my neck and back and now I must look for a new car."

Kent Police confirmed the road re-opened at 12pm.

A spokesman said: "The road was closed to allow recovery of the vehicles and for KCC to assess a lamppost that had been hit and leaning over the carriageway."

One witness, Karen Crumley said: "There was debris in the road and a car spun and hit the barrier.

"Two of the cars were more damaged than the others but fortunately nobody was hurt.

"It happened just in front of the Nicholas at Wade roundabout on the A299 and I was stuck there from about 8.50am.

"Eventually we were able to turn around after being stuck."