Businesses in Maidstone town centre could be left without water this evening.

A leak has been found in a water main beneath the High Street but supplier South East Water says the water supply may have to turned off.

Workmen have spent the afternoon digging up a small section of pavement on Maidstone High Street but work to repair a six inch leak on the actual pipe will not begin until after office hours.

No customer is currently without a water supply.

Paul Holton, leakage manager for South East Water, said: “Our leakbusters are highly skilled at locating water that may be escaping from our large network of underground pipes even if there is no visible sign on the surface of the ground.

“We are aiming that any necessary repairs will be carried out this afternoon/evening with the paving put back tomorrow.

“This work will be undertaken out of office hours to limit disruption to businesses.

“I would like to apologise for any inconvenience that this work may be causing and thank our customers for their patience.”