A CYCLIST suffered a serious head injury in an early morning crash on Canvey.

Essex Police are appealing for witnesses after the cyclist, a 51-year-old man from the island, was involved in a smash in Charfleets Service Road with a Ford S-Max shortly after 6.35am this morning.

It happened near the junction with St Michaels Road.

The man was taken to Basildon Hospital by land ambulance with serious injuries.

The A130 near the scene of the crash was closed at the junction with the Charfleets Service Road for the majority of the day.

Drivers were being diverted along alternate routes around the island.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said: “Three ambulances, a rapid response vehicle and an ambulance officer vehicle were called to a road traffic collision involving a cyclist and another vehicle at St Michaels Road, Canvey, shortly before 6.30am on June 11.

"One man was transported to Basildon and Thurrock Hospital with a serious head injury.”

Heavy traffic and congestion remained on the roads during the day.

The problems were exacerbated by queues around Benfleet due to a burst water pipe needing repairs on the A13.

Residents have been sharing their sympathies on social media.

Kay Curtis wrote: “They put these traffic lights in years ago to stop this kind of thing from happening.

“I personally think it’s made the junction more of a hold up as well as not reducing any accidents there.”

Call Chigwell roads policing unit on 101 quoting incident 135 of June 11.