A van driver has been taken to hospital with "serious" injuries after his vehicle hit a tree and overturned on the A28.

Eyewitnesses said how the Loomis security van was taking a left hand bend and ended up rolled onto its side.

The driver, a man in his 20s, was taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford after being trapped inside the van.

Police, fire crews and paramedics were called to the scene between Godmersham and Chilham just after 2pm.

A spokesman for Secamb (South East Coast Ambulance service) said: "We sent an ambulance and a response car to attend. Our staff treated a single patient at the scene for various injuries.

"His condition was serious but not thought to be life-threatening."

Eyewitness John Pyne was driving to Chilham to visit his daughter and was about half a dozen cars behind the crash.

He said: "My concern was just to get to him. I arrived about seven cars back. It had just turned over.

"His security thing was saying 'please call police'.

"When we saw him he was sort of conscious and I kept on shouting to him 'keep your eyes open'."

Mr Pyne said he and another woman, who said she was a first aider, were trying to comfort the man until paramedics arrived.

"He wasn't able to talk well but we got him to write down what happened," Mr Pyne added. "We said stay awake and told him the ambulance is on its way.

"He's hit the tree and the back of the van has skewed round and finally it's just tipped over.

"He was lucky and I hope he's ok.

"He was still in his seat and the van was on its right side. Fire crews had problems. They were trying to get their crowbars to open the doors.

"The nearby farmer said he heard the screech and got into his Land Rover and got there just as I was getting to him."

Ashford Road has been closed since the accident and remains shut.

No other vehicles are said to be involved in the crash, police said.

Motorists are being delayed as the A28 is closed at the junction with the A252 and officers are turning vehicles around at Godmersham on the Ashford side.