One of the most popular roads for tourists on the Isle of Sheppey has been shut right at the start of the school summer holidays.

The Leas at Minster has been closed to traffic as engineers fight to stop the area from being flooded by raw sewage.

The stretch overlooking the beach has been out of bounds to cars since a blockage was discovered in an underground sewer on Thursday July 14.

A team of workmen from Medway firm MTS has been on shifts 24 hours a day pumping out the sewer to stop human waste bubbling up through nearby manhole covers. One of the operators said: “We are trying to keep the noise of the pumps as quiet as possible so neighbours aren’t annoyed.”

It is feared the emergency repairs could take until Monday August 1 to complete.

Contractors are digging down 5m (15ft) outside county and Swale borough councillor Adrian Crowther’s home. He said: "I’ve had big yellow tankers outside my house since Friday pumping out sewage. I gather it’s to stop The Playa from being flooded.”

No one at the nearby Playa pub and restaurant would comment.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: “The noise of the pumps is atrocious and I have difficulty getting my car in the drive. But that is something we are all having to live with. But we have heard that excess sewage is to be discharged onto the beach which will put our Blue Flag status at risk.”

Leilah Nicola of Southern Water immediately denied any sewage would be pumped into the sea. She said today: “While the pipe is out of action, tankers are taking waste away to nearby Queenborough treatment works.”

She added: “We’d like to apologise to everyone affected by the work. A sewer has collapsed and we are still digging down to reach it. It is five metres underground so this is proving to be a slow and difficult task, despite using a 30-tonne digger.

“The middle section of the road is closed and a small diversion is in place although access remains for residents. Until we reach the pipe, we won’t know why it collapsed or how long it will take to repair. However, we are doing all we can to fix things as quickly as possible.”

A classic car show is to be held on the promenade at The Leas on Sunday July 31 from 10am to 4pm. Organiser Paul Weeks said: "I am hoping the repairs will be finished by then."