Hundreds injured after pile-up on Sheppey Crossing

Hundreds of people have been injured after a huge pile-up involving more than 100 vehicles on the Sheppey Crossing this morning (5 September).

According to reports, six people have been seriously injured and more than 200 have suffered minor injuries.

The crossing connects the Isle of Sheppey with Kent. The accident is thought to have occurred in thick fog, with witnesses saying that visibility was poor.

Collisions occurred at the top of the crossing and at the foot of the approach to the crossing, with one witness describing the scene as “horrific”.

Martin Stammers told Kent Online: "It's horrific. I've never seen anything like it in my life.

"All you could hear was cars crashing. We got out of our car and it was eerily quiet with visibility down to just 20 yards.

"Then you would hear the screeching of brakes and then a thud. It was all you could hear for about 10 minutes - crash after crash after crash.

"The whole top of the bridge is full of mangled cars and lorries. There are cars with their roofs ripped off - one is five feet in the air. There were a lot of people trapped.

"We managed to stop safely in time before the accident, but if we'd have been 10 seconds earlier we'd have been involved."

A major emergency operation is currently underway.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "Officers are urging motorists to avoid the area, but if a journey to the island is essential, the old Kingsferry Bridge remains open but expect long delays.

"The road remains closed at Cowstead Corner on the Island and motorists are being directed onto the Kingsferry Bridge, while the road is closed at the Iwade turn-off and vehicles directed through the village onto the old A249."