A teenage girl has died following a crash on a main road.

Emergency services, including an air ambulance, were called to the A249 at around 6.50pm last night after a Toyota Hilux collided with a road barrier and overturned.

It happened on the Sheppey-bound carriageway, near the Stockbury roundabout and Church Hill, between Maidstone and Sittingbourne.

A 16-year-old girl died at the scene of the accident, which did not involve any other cars.

A boy, believed to be 15, was taken to a London hospital with serious injuries, while a 17-year-old boy suffered minor injuries.

The older boy was later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and was taken into custody.

A police spokesman said: “Inquiries are being led by Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) and officers are urging drivers with dashcam to check for any important footage. They also want to speak to anyone who saw collision, or the Toyota in the moments leading up to it.”

Both carriageways, including the Maidstone-bound traffic, were closed for hours as a result. It reopened at 5.50am.

Anyone with information should contact SCIU on 01622 798 538, quoting reference RY/HG/021/24. You can also email sciu.td@kent.pnn.police.uk

The fire service was also called to the crash, with a spokesman adding: “We were called at 6.51pm to a road crash on the northbound carriageway.

“Crews assisted other emergency services at the scene. Our operations were complete at 8.04pm.”

It comes after major road works at the roundabout started on Monday.

The M2 junction five London-bound exit slip at Stockbury has shut for five weeks.

As a result, the A249 Maidstone-bound has been closed from the Stockbury roundabout to Church Hill, with no access to the A249 from Oad Street or South Green Lane.