A suspected broken sewer closed a main road this week and caused long delays for motorists.

Part of Minster Road, Minster, has been fenced off for months after part of it started to collapse and on Monday the section between Scrapsgate Road and Parsonage Chase was completely closed.

Traffic was diverted via Barton Hill Drive, Lower Road, Cowstead Corner and Queenborough Road.

The road closure was expected to last for three weeks, but on Tuesday afternoon Kent County Council (KCC) announced the road had reopened and work would be carried out using temporary traffic lights instead.

A council spokesman said: “Specialist contractors brought in to repair a large void found the cause to be a faulty water pipe repair, rather than a broken sewer.

“This means we will not have to dig down so far and the road can remain open while the repair is carried out.”

Work should be completed within three weeks.

The emergency closure meant bus operator Arriva had to divert every bus on the Island from 9am on Monday – the first day of a new timetable.

Arriva said its schedules were hastily re-organised after they were only told of the road closure on Friday.

Arriva spokesman Richard Lewis said: “It is unfortunate that we have had no option but to divert our services on the first day of our revised timetables, which are aimed to provide some improved services and new links for our customers on the Isle of Sheppey.”

He suggested that anyone travelling to appointments or to make other transport connections should allow more time for their journey while the road works are in place.

A KCC spokesman said the emergency closure involved a specialist crew and the reason for the short notice to Arriva was because the team was only available at the last minute.