A key approach road to Maidstone remains closed to traffic today after a gas main fire.

The A274 Maidstone Road is shut just north of Sutton Valence, at a point outside the Warmlake industrial park.

Detours are in place around Plough Wents Road, Norton Road and Warmlake Road, but these are narrow lanes that do not cope well with large volumes of traffic.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area completely if at all possible.

Although the fire was extinguished on Friday, SGN says that a length of damaged main needs to be replaced and the road closure will remain "until well into this week" while the work is carried out.

The fire broke out overnight on Thursday. SGN had just completed work to lay a new spur off the main in order to feed a new housing development to the rear of the Warmlake Estate.

No-one was working at the site at the time. The junction point was awaiting a different crew to come along the next day to infill the hole in the road.

SGN said that at the moment there was no explanation for the cause of the fire. Investigations were continuing.

No-one was injured in the blaze.