POLICE are appealing for information following a collision near the Kingsferry Bridge in which a 50-year-old man died.

The accident happened just before the bridge on the Island side at about 3pm on Tuesday. Massive tailbacks formed on the A249 and Sheppey and parts of Sittingbourne were gridlocked for hours after the smash.

The man, from Sheerness, is thought to have suffered a heart attack at the wheel of the white minibus he was driving, before colliding with a red Rover 400 car and then a barrier.

It is believed he was travelling to Oaks School in Gore Court Road, Sittingbourne, to collect Sheppey youngsters. The driver of the Rover, also a local man, was not injured.

Workmen from the A249 second crossing project were first on the scene and pulled the man, who was unconscious, from the vehicle. He was later pronounced dead at Gillingham's Medway Maritime Hospital.

The road was closed for at least an hour while officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit investigated the incident.

Commuters and schoolchildren were stuck in the traffic for hours and a journey from Sheerness town centre to Cowstead Corner took about two hours.

Witnesses are asked to contact PC Squire or Sgt Silvester on the witness appeal line on 01622 600970.

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