A road which was partially washed away by a burst water main is set to re-open within the next two weeks, bringing weeks of traffic misery to an end.

South East Water says it is "optimistic" Shalloak Road in Broad Oak, near Canterbury, will be fully open by Monday, April 15, bringing relief to motorists who have spent hours stuck in gridlocked queues of traffic.

The busy rat-run in and out of the city has been sealed off for emergency roadworks since March 8, when a 12-inch water main burst.

Its closure has led to chaos as drivers looking to swerve the gridlock have instead been caught up in queues caused by traffic lights in St Stephen's Hill, Littlebourne Road and Whitstable Road.

Residents in Sturry Hill, another road which has seen significant tailbacks, say the increase in pollution from car engines has also been noticeable.

Jim Macintyre, head of networks for South East Water, says a flood resulting from the burst main caused a "significant collapse" underneath the road surface, after a section of ground and vegetation as long as a double decker bus was washed away.

"On the Canterbury-bound lane, we have seen quite a significant collapse of the ground and it has taken some significant investigations to understand how we repair that," he explains.

Although originally feared the repairs could take until the end of April to complete, Mr Macintyre says a plan of action has now been agreed with Kent Highways to fill in the collapsed carriageway using a technique called "sheet-piling", which will support and stabilise the road surface.

"We have obtained permission to do this from the landowner, and we are working with Kent County Council to mobilise a supplier so the work can be carried out as soon as possible," he continued.

"We do apologise for the inconvenience in having to close the road, but safety is of paramount importance to South East Water.

"We need to make sure we can stabilise that ground. We have had to liaise very closely with KCC to do this and we have also had to get environmental permits to carry out the work, and that has taken longer than we had hoped.

"We're not specialists in highways, so there's important steps we needed to take to ensure the road's safety.

"That has taken some time, but it's really important that we do it safely and that we do it correctly."

Exasperated motorists have told how the closure of the major route - which it is now hoped will be accessible before the Easter holidays - means morning commutes into Canterbury are taking up to an hour-and-a-half from as nearby as Herne Bay.

Peta Boucher, who lives in Sturry Hill, says that "if you took a drone up to have a look, you would see that the traffic goes all the way past Hersden, in the morning."

She also says air pollution has worsened due to motorists leaving their engines running while stuck in the stationary traffic.

"If you walk down here, you can taste it," she continued.

"You can feel the dirt gathering on your face - it's horrible. It's like living on a major road."

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