Part of a busy town road used to access homes, schools and businesses is set to be closed on and off for nine months.

Queen’s Road in Maidstone is part of CityFibre’s £50 million investment in broadband upgrades.

The company announced the county town would be one of the areas in Kent to have the upgrade to full fibre.

It launched in January, with the project expected to be completed by 2027.

The firm said it would be working in close partnership with Kent County Council (KCC) and residents to deliver a fast rollout while managing potential disruption.

Sections of Queen’s Road will have to close to allow the work to take place.

Works will start on Sunday, July 30, and will go on for around nine months. It is estimated to be finished by Sunday, April 14.

Between Sunday, July 30, and Sunday, September 3, the road will be shut from the junction of Freshland Road to Bramble Close.

Then on Saturday, October 7, it closes again from London Road to the junction with Queen’s Avenue.

The road will reopen on Sunday, November 5.

From Saturday, February 10, to the following Sunday, it will be shut from the junction of Tonbridge Road to Tarragon Road.

It is set to close one last time on Friday, March 29, until Sunday, April 14, between the same junctions as before.

Queen’s Road is regularly used as a shortcut between the A26 Tonbridge Road and the A20 London Road – two main routes that lead into the town centre.

It is also used by parents to access a number of nurseries, primary and secondary education.

These include St Francis Catholic Primary School and St Simon Stock Catholic School.

A diversion will be in place via Tonbridge Road, Terrace Road, London Road and Queen’s Road.