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Repairs on A26 Tonbridge Road to take another five weeks

Repairs to a road closed after a large sinkhole appeared are set to take a further five weeks.

The hole developed as part of the A26 Tonbridge Road in Barming collapsed on May 28.

Kent County Council (KCC) Highways workers found the gap to lead into a space roughly the area of a tennis court and up to three metres deep.

A26 sinkhole (2487494)
A26 sinkhole (2487494)

Investigations are now continuing after the discovery of a suspected second void.

Despite ongoing work, the full extent of the newly found cavity by the Taj Barming restaurant is still to be determined.

Businesses nearby have been hit hard by the closure of the major route which has left customers unsure if they are still open.

Owner of Taj Barming, Kiron Haque, says his restaurant is losing between £2,000 and £3,000 per week since the front entrance was closed off for works.

"It's having a big impact, the trade has dropped drastically because everybody thinks we're closed and customers are calling up to check if we are open," he said.

"It's like a building site. We have put a banner up saying that we're still open as people can get to us from Hermitage lane but for the last week it has been very quiet."

Work is well underway to repair the Tonbridge Road sinkhole
Work is well underway to repair the Tonbridge Road sinkhole

Fortunately, the affect on traffic congestion and possible delays to ambulance services has been small.

Rich Airey, press officer for SECAmb, said: "Crews have to deal with road closures on a daily basis and will be taking the appropriate diversions."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for KCC said they have seen no serious congestion with traffic coping well.

To test traffic, a Kent Messenger reporter took to the roads during rush hour.

Driving through Barming on journeys affected by the closure, traffic was light with almost no queuing.

Travelling from Maidstone West Railway Station to Maidstone Hospital took only seven minutes diverting via Gatland Lane, well within the eight to 16 minute range predicted by Google Maps before works began.

Travelling back to Broadway, Maidstone from the hospital took 15 minutes, only one minute longer than the journey time without roadworks.

However, a school run from Westree Road to Barming Primary School via the A20 and Hermitage Lane took 26 minutes, around 12 minutes longer than the previously predicted time of 14 minutes.

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