M20 shut after bridge collapses

A MOTORCYCLIST was taken to hospital yesterday after a pedestrian bridge collapsed on a motorway on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

It happened between junctions 3 and 4 on the M20 on the London-bound carriageway northwest of Maidstone, Kent.

The M20 is the main route to the Port of Dover and Channel Tunnel. The stretch of road where the accident happened is expected to be closed all of today.

Dramatic TV footage showed the extent of the damage.

The top of a lorry’s trailer was sheared off and debris littered the carriageway.

Half of the bridge was also shown to have completely collapsed.

The motorcyclist was taken to hospital with suspected broken ribs.

The exact cause has not been confirmed, but Highways England said the bridge had fallen after being struck by a vehicle.

Some witnesses suggested the bridge had crumbled after being hit by a large vehicle being carried on the back of a lorry.

Kalpana Fitzpatrick, who had been driving on the motorway, said: “What we can see is two trucks squashed by this bridge and emergency services are at the scene.

“There are quite a lot of people just walking around the motorway not knowing what is going on.

“The side I’m on, the bridge is still hanging, and obviously the traffic has been stopped. It’s quite shocking.”

A spokeswoman for Kent Police said: “No people are believed to be trapped in the debris, however one person is believed to have suffered injuries, not reported to be lifethreatening at this time.”

An estimated 13 million drivers had been predicted to take to the road between Friday and Monday over the long weekend.