Drivers are set to face "significant disruption" as a one-way diversion comes into force - with some residents fearing they will be trapped in their homes.

Part of Lower Bridge Street on Canterbury's ring-road will be closed for nine days as Southern Water carries out emergency repairs to a broken pipe.

The busy route will be shut from the early hours of Saturday, October 22, and are set to be completed by the end of Sunday, October 30, as the "essential" works are carried out.

Motorists will be diverted via a one-way system - sending them clockwise around the ring-road.

Some residents say they expect traffic to be so bad that they are going to treat it like another lockdown - and leave their houses "as rarely as possible".

A statement by Southern Water said: "We recognise the closure next to the St George’s Roundabout will cause significant disruption to those travelling in and out of Canterbury."

Traffic coming from New Dover Road will need to travel clockwise around the city via Westgate Tower to get to the Sturry side of Canterbury.

The roads affected will be Tourtel Road, Rhodaus Town, Upper Bridge Street, Pin Hill, A290/Rheims Way, St Peter’s Place, St Dunstans Street, B2248, Station Road West and Kingsmead Road.

Residents fear what the knock-on effect of the diversion will be.

Philip Lewis, 73, is concerned it is going to add to traffic issues in Fordwich, where the number of vehicles "has gone through the roof" since the end of the Covid lockdowns.

He says he has had to have the wall of his house repointed three times in the 16 years he has lived there due to damage caused by exhaust fumes.

"I am aware that one section needs doing again because it is against the high street and the exhaust is burning out the mortar in the brickwork and is burning the bricks out," he said.

He fears motorists will use Fordwich as a rat-run in a bid to avoid the traffic chaos in the city centre.

"People are going to look at the diversion map and will go along Littlebourne Road, Stodmarsh and through Fordwich as it will be quicker, which is debatable due to the weight of traffic but that’s the way people’s minds will work," he added.

"A situation that is intolerable will get considerably worse in terms of the weight of traffic, pollution and the danger."

Mr Lewis says it will take up to 20 minutes to travel the short distance from Fordwich High Street to Sturry Road at certain times, such as the morning or late-afternoon.

"The simplest way over that period is to consider ourselves back in lockdown and going out of the house was rarely as possible, especially by car..."

Although he believes the town's narrow streets and sharp bends will cope, it will be "with a great of deal of local frustration".

And the Fordwich town councillor has already been forced to make drastic changes to his lifestyle to cope with the issues the diversion will cause.

"I said to my wife the simplest way over that period is to consider ourselves back in lockdown and going out of the house as rarely as possible, especially by car," he said.

"They have opted to do the work over half-term so it’s going to be less disruptive to schools and so on.

"We complain when they don’t do things - we can’t really complain when they do. We just have to grin and bear it."

Westgate councillor Pip Hazelton (Lab) says the works are going to have a disruptive impact for a "considerable period of time".

"When we got the early notification of the diversion as councillors, they advised us to arrange meetings online to minimise disruption," she said.

"If that is advice to us as councillors, I can only think how that would multiply as a disruptive effect for everyone else."

She has urged the water company to do everything it can to minimise disruption for residents, visitors and commuters.

"Half-term traffic will be lighter and I hope that’s why it's scheduled to take place," Cllr Hazelton added.

"But it will be very significant and my question will be when the teams go away that night, what can be reopened?

"Even if it’s a significant repair, there can be ways to minimise it elsewhere.

"There is nothing more frustrating when you’re travelling when a road is needlessly blocked off because the crews aren’t there.

"Lower Bridge Street might have to be closed off but it might be they can reopen the ring-road in the evening to let traffic circulate as much as possible."

Southern Water says the work to repair a broken pipe is essential in order to reduce the risk of flooding.

"We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to people, and we hope to complete this work as quickly as is safe to do so," it said.

Some diversions for nearby works clashed with the scheduled repairs in Lower Bridge Street.

One of these included a closure in Moat Lane, Fordwich, which was planned from October 24 to 28.

The diversion would have sent drivers on a diversion via Lower Bridge Street, but the works have been cancelled.

It is understood all works and diversions advertised by Kent County Council that would impact traffic on the ring-road have been cancelled to try to alleviate congestions as best as possible.