POLICE want to talk to three potential witnesses to a fatal crash involving five vehicles on the M20.

The crash took place at around 1.40am on Wednesday on the London-bound carriageway between junction four (Aylesford) and junction three (Wrotham).

One man died at the scene and two other people were injured. One man was taken to Maidstone Hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries, while a woman was treated in hospital for a minor injury.

The collision involved three cars, a van and a lorry.

The three people Kent Police wish to speak to are thought to have been travelling in a Vauxhall Astra and left the scene shortly after the incident.

The motorway was closed for around eight hours while officers examined the scene. It reopened at around 10.30am.

The closure caused rush hour chaos, with traffic at a standstill on the M20 back to junction seven (A249 Detling), on the A229 Blue Bell Hill, the Leybourne and West Malling Bypass, and in Maidstone town centre.

By 9.30am, much of the Medway Towns was gridlocked. All three London-bound lanes of the M2 at Blue Bell Hill were jammed with stationary vehicles.

The whole of the Medway Towns relief road, from Rainham around to Wainscott, was at a standstill.

One motorist said: "It's a long time since I have seen anything this bad. It is ridiculous that the Medway Towns grinds to a halt because there is an accident miles away on the M20 motorway."

The gridlock even reached central Rochester.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the serious collision witness line on 01622 798538.