A busy road has reopened ahead of schedule after a gas leak earlier this week.

The A229 Staplehurst Road was closed on Wednesday, sparking long delays around Marden, after a gas leak on Tuesday.

The road has been closed in both directions near the junction with the B2079, Maidstone Road, close to The Stile Bridge pub.

KCC Highways had suggested the road could be closed until Tuesday while repairs take place, suggesting motorists take a 45 minute detour.

However engineers from SGN have fixed the leak, and two-way traffic lights were raised this morning.

Dan Brown, spokesman for SGN, said: "We’ll need to install temporary two-way traffic lights here for safety while we work to restore the road surface to its original condition following our repairs."