ONE man has died and seven people have been taken to hospital after a road accident in Manor Park last night.

Fire, ambulance and police officers were called to the scene of the accident in High Street North just before 10.50pm.

A VW Golf car was involved in the accident with a pedestrian and two other cars, a Daewoo and a BMW. One of the cars caught fire in the accident.

The pedestrian, understood to be a man in his 20s, was declared dead at the scene by a doctor from the HEMS air ambulance service.

One man was trapped in one of the cars and had to be released by fire crews.

The driver of the Golf car, a man and three passengers, one man and two women, were taken to hospital.

The driver of the Daewoo was also taken to hospital, as was the driver of the BMW and his female passenger.

None of those taken to an East London hospital, four men and three women, have life-threatening injuries.

The road was closed while emergency services tackled the incident, said a London Fire Brigade spokeswoman. Around ten per cent of the car which caught fire was damaged.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said next of kin of the dead man had not yet been informed.

Investigations are continuing into the tragedy by Chadwell Heath Traffic Police, who are appealling for any witnesses. They can be contacted on (020) 8597 4874.

The driver of the Golf was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remains in hospital.