A road which has collapsed into a gaping hole - in parts just feet from a gas main - will tonight hear of the plans to fix it.

Dozens of homeowners are expected to attend the village hall in Leeds, Maidstone, to find out how long Upper Street will remain shut and what caused it to collapse.

The main route through the village has been closed since November.

Engineers discovered only inches of surface separated the passing traffic from a gas main in a huge cavity below.

Members of the parish council have raised concerns about the state of the whole carriageway.

They fear the damage may have been caused by the HGVs which frequently pass through the village.

In an open letter to KCC, the parish council chairman Gill Fort and vice chairman John Govett vice chairman of the parish council wrote: “What reassurance do we have the site is safe at the moment and will not continue to become an issue elsewhere in the village?

"We require KCC not to open the road until such written assurances are given to residents on the B2163 and throughout the parish.”

Members have suggested lowering the village weight limit from 17 tonnes to seven-and-a-half tonnes.

John Burr, director of Highways and Transportation at KCC, said: "The ground conditions around Leeds are known to exhibit deep localised crevices known as fissures.

"The ground above is generally quite stable however external factors can trigger a collapse. The cause of the collapse remains unclear but there is no evidence to suggest that it was triggered by HGV traffic using the B2163.”

Tonight's meeting starts at 7.30pm.

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