Churchgoers’ powers of forgiveness will be tested later this month when the route to their place of worship is disrupted for the third time in three months

Church Road near St Nicholas Church in Otham, Maidstone, had already been closed for a month from mid-September to mid-October.

It was shut again a little further along the carriageway on Wednesday and remained shut until November 5.

And now residents have been told the road will be closed outside the place of worship for almost another three weeks, starting from Monday, November 25, until Thursday, December 12.

Kent County Council (KCC) said Walker Construction UK Ltd would be returning to this site due to “engineering difficulties” while carrying out the works previously.

The alternative route for through traffic is via Church Road, Deringwood Drive, Willington Street, A274 Sutton Road, Gore Court Road and vice versa.

Pedestrian access will be maintained during the works.

The KCC Highways Helpline phone number is 03000 418181 if you have any queries.

The route is normally a busy one and is used by some motorists as an alternative to Willington Street to connect from the A274 Sutton Road through to the A20.

St Nicholas Church is one of the county’s oldest churches, with parts dating back to the late 11th century.

The work is to move and replace a water main for South East Water so that the carriageway can be widened.