A busy route where roadworks have been causing "chaos" for drivers since last summer has closed again – just months after drivers removed barriers to get through.

Church Road in Murston, Sittingbourne, is currently shut in both directions for gas works.

The route's latest closure, its third since July, is due to a leak being investigated by gas company SGN.

Speaking on Wednesday, company spokesman Bradley Barlow said: "We’ve had to temporarily close the road for everyone’s safety due to the size of the excavations in the road.

"Camera surveys of our gas network are being carried out today to identify leak points so that we can carry out repairs.

"The local authority has allowed us to work extended hours to complete this work quickly, and we have a traffic management operator on site 24 hours a day to support any required emergency access.

"We’re sorry for any inconvenience our work may cause to the local community and we thank you for your patience."

SGN has since confirmed the route will reopen on Monday (February 26).

Cllr James Hall (Murston, SIA) insists the latest closure though is "getting ridiculous" and that it is causing "chaos" for residents.

Goldilocks Nursery and Sunny Bank Primary are both in Church Road.

Commenting on social media earlier this week, one person said: "Not a parking space in sight today either as everyone is parking in Murston by the looks of it to dodge having to go round and get stuck like they did yesterday – it's a pain but I can't blame them for doing it."

Another added: "It's craziness how closing one road can cause such chaos.

"Definitely need a relief road and sooner rather than later."

It comes just two months after drivers were caught on CCTV moving safety barriers to try and get around a separate closure on the road.

A man in an orange high-vis jacket was seen removing the barriers on November 9.

He then drove his car over a ditch which SGN workers were using to access gas pipes running into Goldilocks Nursery.

Meanwhile, the stretch closed for the entirety of last year's summer holidays.

Telecomms giant City Fibre installed fibre optic broadband to homes in the area between July 25 and September 1.