The repair bill for a burst water main which closed the A249 for 25 days is at least £640,000.

Drivers were subjected to long delays and diversions after the Sheppey-bound carriageway shut on January 11.

A pipe carrying the Island’s water supply had ruptured and was leaking onto the road at the Bobbing turn off, leading to the closure from Key Street. It also created a huge void under the road which had to be filled in before it could be reopened.

A Southern Water spokesman said: “The burst main under the A249 was the most
challenging water event we’ve dealt with for 40 years.

“The burst main under the A249 was the most challenging water event we’ve dealt with for 40 years" - Southern Water spokesman

“We had to install two alternative water mains to preserve supply to the Island while we carried out repairs to the existing main.

“The cost of this was approximately £270,000, including permanently fixing the existing main. Repairing the burst was complex and would normally take much longer to plan and execute.

"However, we were determined to complete the work as swiftly as possible and employed specialist contractors who worked alongside our most experienced colleagues."

On Friday, January 15, nearly 10,000 properties on Sheppey were without water, some for more than 48 hours, forcing Southern Water to hand out free bottles.

The water company spokesman added: "We were able to maintain supplies to the west of the Island throughout the incident. However, despite our best efforts, supply was lost to the east of the Island on Friday, January 15 through to Sunday, January 17.

"We made bottled water available and fed our reservoirs supplying the west of the Island using tankers. This cost £370,000."

It is understood that Southern Water will also have to pick up the bill for repairs Highways England had to make to the carriageway, which included filling in the hole created by the leak.

A Highways England spokesman said: "The costs are still to be collated so we don’t have a final figure yet. We’d rather not speculate on a figure at this stage in case it varies."

The water firm has also pledged to make a donation of £10,000 to two Island charities as a goodwill gesture for the inconvenience caused.

It has also promised the cost of dealing with the burst main will not lead to an increase in bills, which are fixed for 2016/17.