Kent Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage following a fatal crash on the M20 near Ashford this morning.
Just before 6am on Wednesday 23 September 2026, a black VW Polo was travelling on the coastbound carriageway between junctions 8 and 9, when it left the motorway and went down an embankment.
Emergency services attended the incident and a fire at the scene was extinguished. The sole occupant of the vehicle was confirmed to be deceased and enquiries are underway to identify their next of kin.
The carriageway was closed and there were severe traffic delays while an investigation was carried out by officers from Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU).
Officers are appealing for witnesses to the incident, or saw the car prior to the collision, to contact them. Anyone with information should call the SCIU appeal line on 01622 798538, or email sciu.td@kent.police.uk, quoting reference RY/DH/075/26. Motorists with dashcam or residents with private CCTV that may assist, can upload the footage using this link: https://kep.uk.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/fatal-rtc-m20-coastbound-near-junction-9