Businesses in Sheerness have reported a drop in trade after a water main burst and forced the closure of the high street.

The road had to be shut to traffic on Thursday morning at Millennium Way and only reopened this afternoon.

A Southern Water spokesman said its crew had finished repairing the main by the weekend but work to reinstate the road continued.

Businesses affected by the seven-day closure include Oasis Plumbing and Heating, whose manager Martin Bishop said the pipe burst right outside the shop’s door.

“I got here about 6.30am on Thursday and the water was coming up to the front door,” the 51-year-old said. “It was just running inside the shop.”

Mr Bishop said the water was cut off for a number of businesses until lunchtime.

“I felt sorry for the poor hairdressers and dry cleaners that rely on water,” he said. “They couldn’t do anything.”

He said he had noticed a 20% drop in customers. “People want to park out the front, not round the back and walk down.

“The council could have made the car parks free of charge to encourage people to come to the town and still use the shops.

“The only ones benefiting out of all this is the council because the car parks are busier. Everyone else is suffering.”

He added: “How long it’s taking to fix the problem is unbelievable.”

Stanley Ward, owner of Kent Fresh Foods, said the town had been as “dead as a dodo”, even though businesses were open.

The 59-year-old said: “We’ve got water and the shops are still open as normal but the customer count is not very good.

“People aren’t able to drive down the high street, park their cars and pop in for what they need so it’s been a lot quieter.

“There’s been a lot of standing around on our part and it’s through no fault of our own.”