By Hayley Robinson

Motorists are being warned of traffic delays as the second of four massive generators is transported from Chatham Docks to Sittingbourne this weekend.

As of Friday night those travelling between Medway and Sittingbourne via the A249 are advised to find an alternative route if possible.

Officers from Kent Police’s Roads Policing Unit will be escorting a specialised lorry as it transports the 428 ton generator from Chatham Docks to the National Grid substation, in Ypres Drive, Kemsley.

The lorry will leave Gillingham at 10pm on Friday. During this stage vehicles will be able to follow behind the police escort.

It will use the M2 and M20 before joining the A249.

Police will stop traffic at the M20/A249 roundabout to allow the load to get up Detling Hill.

It will come off at the Iwade junction and will stop along the Sheppey Way in the early hours of Saturday.

At 3pm on Sunday the load will then be escorted back down the A249 and come off at the junction for Kemsley and to its destination just off Ypres Drive.

The generator weighs 428-tonnes, and the trailer is 104.24m long, 5.9m wide and 5.24m high and travels at a maximum of 14mph. No vehicles are allowed past the moving lorry.

National Grid has requested residents keep Ypres Drive, Grovehurst Road and Grovehurst Avenue clear of parked vehicles tomorrow, Sunday and Monday.

The old Sheppey Way is closed until Monday and traffic heading for Iwade village should follow the detour route along Old Ferry Road.

Sittingbourne Messenger reader Charlie Ryder snapped these pictures as the huge vehicle made its way along Grovehurst Avenue in Sittingbourne as the crowds gathered to see it on Sunday.

Despite careful planning, the journey wasn’t as smooth as it could have been – the lorry broke down on Yokosuka Way in Gillingham when one of its hydraulic hoses failed.

A police spokesman said: "A new hose had to be fitted and the road cleaned to ensure it was safe before the road could be reopened after about 45 minutes."

The electricity company arranged for the quad booster transformer to be transported from Chatham Docks to the site near Sittingbourne to help "ensure London and the South East continue to enjoy safe and secure electricity supplies."