Churchgoers will be among those who have their journeys disrupted for weeks when a key road closes.

Church Road in Otham, near Maidstone, will be closed to all vehicles from Monday, September 16, for up to a month.

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

The closure will be at a point some 60 metres north of the lych-gate to St Nicholas, one of the county’s oldest churches, with parts dating back to the late 11th century.

The closure is to enable the Clancy Group to undertake works on behalf of South East Water.

Alongside the church, and also affected, is the new Bellway development of Parsonage Place, which is still under construction although some homes are occupied.

Anyone wishing to drive to the church, or to access the new Parsonage Place development, from Downswood, will have to do a long detour via Deringwood Drive, Willington Street, the A274 Sutton Road and Gore Court Road, to approach from the southern end of Church Road.

Jamie Annis, South East Water’s developer service manager, said: “We’re sorry to customers in Otham who will be affected by the closure of Church Road.

“This work is required to divert a section of water main in Church Road to enable the carriageway to be widened.

“A new section of water main will be installed to ensure we can continue to supply top quality drinking water to all customers as the community grows. A diversion route, agreed with Kent Highways, is in place and will be signposted for the duration of the work.

“We begin work on Monday, and we are aiming to complete this work and reopen the road by Friday, October 16.”