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Witness tells how lorry overturned on A249 between Sittingbourne and Sheppey

A witness has told how an articulated lorry toppled over before her eyes and blocked a main road.

Mum-of-two Liubov Nestorova-Prykhodko, 35, was driving towards Sheppey along the A249 at Sittingbourne just before 6am this morning when her dashcam captured the exact moment a white Volvo lorry from Spain overturned at Bobbing.

Dashcam footage of lorry toppling over

Liubov, who runs a courier service with her husband, had been on her way from Medway to the DHL Parcel UK depot in Bonham Drive on Sittingbourne's Eurolink estate. She was taking the Milton Regis exit when the crash happened.

She said: "I saw the lorry about 200m in front of me start to overturn. The front began leaning to the left and then the whole lorry just fell over. I slowed down, stopped about 30m behind it and called the police.

"A Seymour platform driver and a small van stopped as well. Those two men helped the two Spanish lorry drivers get out of the cabin. At the time the cab was on its side and the drivers were trying to open a roof window.

"The two men tried to break the front window to help the Spanish drivers out but in the end they managed to open the roof window and climb out. Diesel was leaking heavily from the lorry. We all waited for police and the fire engine to arrive."

"I think they must have missed the exit and then caught the grass verge between A249 and slip road. Both of the lorry drivers were all right and not injured, just scared."

Two recovery trucks attempt to right an overturned lorry on the Sheppey-bound A249 at Bobbing
Two recovery trucks attempt to right an overturned lorry on the Sheppey-bound A249 at Bobbing
Recovery crews arrive for an overturned lorry blocking the Bobbing slip road of the A249
Recovery crews arrive for an overturned lorry blocking the Bobbing slip road of the A249
An overturned lorry blocked the Bobbing slip road of the A249
An overturned lorry blocked the Bobbing slip road of the A249

A police spokesman said they were called at 5.56am to a report that a lorry had overturned on the slip road for Bobbing. He said: "No serious injuries were reported but officers enforced a closure to help ensure public safety."

The Sheppey-bound carriageway was closed at Key Street forcing traffic to queue back to the M2 at Stockbury roundabout. Vehicles were diverted along the old Sheppey Way as two recovery trucks tried to right the lorry.

The carriageway was later reopened but the slip road remained closed until the lorry was taken away.

Police also closed the Sheppey Crossing for almost an hour from 6am to get a broken down car recovered and moved to safety.

Read more: Latest news from Sittingbourne

Read more: Latest news from Sheppey

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