Hill blocked after crash

A car and a lorry collided at the top of Detling Hill causing the A249 to become blocked.

The accident happened on the Maidstone-bound carriageway and police and ambulance crews were called just after 1pm on Sunday.

Police said no serious injuries were reported. A bride heading on her honeymoon described how airline passengers were left terrified when a man being deported spent the flight screaming “Allahu Akbar” and “today we will die”.

The deportee intimidated adults and left children in tears during the nightmare trip from London to Venice.

Passengers on the easyJet flight slammed the budget carrier for its handling of the situation during the two-hour journey last month.

They said they were ordered to delete photographs and video of the man, who was flanked by Home Office staff, and were not eligible for compensation because the airline cannot predict passenger behaviour.

It is believed the handcuffed man was being deported to Italy under the Dublin Regulation, where asylum seekers are sent to the country they should have originally applied for asylum in.

Lucy O’Sullivan, 34, who was heading to Italy for her honeymoon with husband Terence, 34, sat near the man.

The carer, from Detling, said: “On entering the plane we could see the distressed passengers including crying children.

“We could see a man kicking, shouting and shaking, and being restrained over a seat.

“He was shouting for 45 minutes and then sporadically throughout the flight.

“We felt threatened because no one knew who this person was and what was happening. Nothing was explained to us.”

Another passenger travelling alongside five children said staff managed to move three youngsters to a quieter area.

He said: “Their attitude towards the whole fiasco was very flippant and they had disregard for our children by moving adults before our kids.”

He said he wrote to the airline about the situation but was angry at getting a standard reply.

“When you expose children to a situation and force them to listen to such language from a man who says we’re all going to die – that’s not on.”

The airline apologised for the distress but said at no point was the safety of the flight compromised.

The airline added it would be reviewing the case to see what could be learnt.