A man has been taken to a London hospital with serious injuries after a suspected road rage assault on the A2 which prompted hours of gridlock.

Traffic was brought to a standstill on the westbound carriageway in Canterbury with drivers told to seek alternative routes.

The closure stretches from the junction for the A2050 and the A28.

Police have now confirmed two men were assaulted following a traffic incident

One was taken to a London hospital with serious injuries.

A police spokesman said: “We were called at 5.41am today to reports that two men were assaulted following an earlier traffic incident.

“The London-bound carriageway of the A2 is currently closed between the A2050 and the A28 near Canterbury.

“Officers remain at the scene with colleagues from the South East Coast Ambulance Service.

“One man has been taken to a London hospital with serious injuries and a second man has been taken to a local hospital."

Motorists have been stuck for as long as four hours, with no firm indication of when the route might reopen.

John Frayne is one of those in the queue.

He told KentOnline: “I set off early to pick my daughter up from Nottingham University then got stuck here.

“Several ambulances and police units passed after about half an hour, but there have been no other clues to work out what’s happening.

“People are now walking about looking for toilet breaks now.”

A National Highways spokesman said on X: “The A2 is closed westbound between the A2050 and the A28 near Canterbury due to a police-led incident

“Emergency services including Kent Police are on scene.

“National Highways Traffic Officers are on scene to assist with traffic management.”

Kent Highways said in a statement at 8.30 am this morning: “Please use alternative route marked with a solid square symbol and expect delays in the area.”

More on this as we have it.