A road will be shut for two more days after a large sinkhole appeared.

Gatland Road, Maidstone will be closed until 5pm on Thursday while utility repair and maintenance work is carried out.

The hole appeared yesterday at the Farleigh Lane junction.

South East Water confirmed they were alerted to a burst on their network in the early hours of Monday morning.

The utility company received 50 calls from customers experiencing low pressure or no water.

Emma Young said she had been driving towards the junction when she spotted the incident.

She said: “I saw the hole in the path, stopped, called the police and directed traffic around it.

“Then the water board turned up and another 2 feet 5 inches of the road fell in.”

South East Water located the burst on a four-inch diameter main and repairs began at 12.30pm

Ms Young described the sinkhole as four metres by two and a half metres and up to a metre and a half deep.

Resident Mark Bradley said: “It’s a very busy junction - a car could have gone down there easily.”

A large fence and barriers have since been put up around the void and works remain in progress.

South East Water Regional Network Manager, Andy Beston said: “For the safety of the public and our workforce, Gatland Lane is currently closed.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this, but please be assured that we will work as quickly and safely as possible to complete the repair.”

MBC Councillor, Margaret Rose (Lab) representing the Fant ward, said: “There are other roads you can use, but this will disrupt.

“This will make it very difficult for the residents – it’s at the top of the estate.”

South East Water also confirmed water supplies returned to normal for most customers by early Monday afternoon.

A police spokesman and KCC spokesman both said they have been made aware but the situation will continue to be dealt with by the utility company.

The incident is another added to Barming’s reputation of sinkholes opening up.

Two years ago, one opened up along the carriageway of the A26 Tonbridge Road at the stretch between Queen's Road and Cherry Orchard Way.

At the time KentOnline reported that over three years, there had been 10 sinkholes in Barming, with four incidents alone in 2020.

Bradley said: “You just get used to it around here, you get sinkholes all the time.”

Ms Rose said: “Thank God it’s happened in the road because there’s no warning and you don’t know – it just happens.

“We can just hope to god that it doesn’t happen under somebody’s house.”