A Harpenden man is in hospital following a crash in Essex that claimed the life of another driver.

The 26-year-old man sustained head injuries and was flown by air ambulance to Queen’s Hospital in Romford following the crash, which happened on the A12 near Chelmsford yesterday.

At about 12.30pm a white Scania truck smashed into the rear of a yellow Volvo tipper parked in a lay-by.

The force of the crash caused the stationary vehicle, which had been driven by the Harpenden man, to move across both lanes of the dual carriageway.

The road was closed off for ten hours while police dealt with the accident.

Officers from Essex Police confirmed that the Scania driver, who is believed to be in his 20s and from Gloucestershire, was killed in the crash.

Nishan Wijeratne, a spokesperson from the force, said: "Forensic collision investigators spent several hours at the crime scene in a bid to capture any evidence which can help ascertain the cause of the crash.

"Specialist recovery vehicles also had to attend the scene in order to move both lorries and after this took place, the road had to be cleaned as there were numerous items of debris strewn around."