A major route has finally reopened following almost a month of chaos.

The A28 has been struck with closures between Wye and Chilham due to water and gas works.

Nearby businesses were “left in the dark” and hit hard by a lack of customers.

However, the busy road running from Ashford to Canterbury has now fully reopened.

Traffic was let through yesterday evening.

The issues began with a burst water pipe on April 17.

The closures lasted just two days and reopened ahead of the Monday commuters.

But later that day - and just 24 hours after the repair was made - it was shut again because of a bump in the new road surface, which remains fenced off.

On April 29, SGN workers closed it completely for the third consecutive week relating to a separate issue.

Repairs were only meant to last until May 7, but overran by five days.

Daran Byrom, the co-owner of Stour Valley Game and Butchers, which is situated off the A28, first found out about the closures after a customer rang him to say they could not get to his shop.

The 49-year-old, who has run the company alongside his business partner Steve King since 2011, had to throw away several pieces of meat because of the sudden road closure.

“We’re taking a third in the shop to what we normally do because of this,” he previously said.

“We’re in the dark because we don’t know when it might reopen.”

A SGN spokesman said at the time: “We apologise for the impact on the community and road users, but this work is essential to ensuring local homes and business continue to receive a safe and reliable supply of gas.”