A main route through a village blighted by water works has reopened but the leak has not been fixed.

Ferry Road in Iwade was shut for almost two weeks as Southern Water investigated a problem outside the village hall.

The road runs through the centre of the village.

It was closed on Monday, September 9 from Grovehurst Road to School Lane so Southern Water engineers could work on a main water pipe that supplies the Island.

It reopened today (Friday, September 20) – almost two weeks early.

Southern Water had permission from Kent County Council to close the 200-metre stretch of road for four weeks but the work took only 12 days.

However, the company is yet to establish the cause of the water that collects there.

It is understood the firm is testing the water to establish whether it is groundwater rather than a leak.

Further investigations on a different water main are also under way which did not require road closures.

Cllr James Hunt (Con), who lives in Iwade, said while the “traffic chaos” he expected was not “too bad” he called the situation “stupid”.

He added: “To not have answers for people living here after 12 days of closures is ridiculous.

“It’s an issue that needs sorting because the water is damaging the road surface which makes its dangerous if left unresolved.”

Before the closure villagers told KentOnline they wanted to see the leak fixed for the foreseeable future.

The work started just months after Southern Water carried out work in the same road that took more than a year to complete.

A Southern Water spokesperson said: “We apologise to the residents and commuters for the disruption that the Ferry Road closure has caused.

“This was necessary for our engineers to carry out the complex excavation works safely.”