Part of the A256 near Sandwich is closed while a water company carries out major pipe repairs.

The southbound carriageway will remain shut between the roundabouts either side of Discovery Park.

A diversion is in place along Monk's Way and through Discovery Park.

Southern Water today said it had repaired a burst in one sewer main before Christmas but has another pipe to fix, which will be a major operation.

The pipe runs under the raised section of the A256 near Discovery Park.

The company said that the road's special construction and the ground beneath makes it particularly difficult to work on.

Southern Water incident manager Peter Stakim said today: "We’d like to apologise to users of the A256 near Sandwich who are likely to continue to face major delays.

"We have to carry out a detailed technical survey, beginning next week, to ensure our work will not harm the structure of the road when reinstatement is complete.

"This work has been given top priority and our engineers and specialist consultants worked right through the holidays."

It is not yet confirmed when the route will be reopened but the area was originally affected by pipe repair work last month.

Read more: All the latest news from Sandwich

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