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Multiple town centre roads have been shut while workers repair three burst water mains.
Herne Bay High Street has been closed between New Street and Bank Street since about 2pm.
Water can be seen covering a large a stretch of the road, while South East Water carries out repairs near William Hill bookmakers.
Around the corner in Mickleburgh Hill, workers are fixing another burst pipe which is causing water to gush across the road's surface.
The route is shut between the Canterbury Road roundabout and Douglas Road, while a section of Ivanhoe Road has also been closed.
South East Water’s distribution manager Adam Newbury said: “We are currently repairing three water pipes in Herne Bay, all of which burst this morning in different locations.
“To maintain supplies to our customers we have re-routed water around our network.
“For the safety of the public and our workforce we have had to close sections of the High Street, Mickleburgh Hill and Ivanhoe Road while we carry out the emergency work. Diversions are in place.
“Our teams are working as quickly as possible and the roads will be reopened as soon as we can after the damaged carriageways are repaired.
“We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused.”
Bus operator Stagecoach, which tweeted earlier to say the problem was a sinkhole, says all its services that usually run through the High Street are being diverted while emergency repairs are carried out.
Buses heading towards Canterbury will run via William Street and Kings Road, while those heading towards Greenhill and Whitstable will run via Kings Road and Beach Street.