Emergency roadworks have caused a nursery to close this morning over a potential gas leak.

Both College Road and Knightrider Street in Maidstone will be partially shut whilst SGN complete repairs.

Townsend Montessori Nursery, in Priory Road, has told parents that it was forced to close today.

The day care centre looks after 193 children aged up to five years old.

In a post on education platform 'Famly', manager Tanya Alexander said: "Unfortunately we have been advised to close this morning upon arriving to find that a gas escape needs to be investigated.

"We apologise for any inconvenience and will aim to open this afternoon."

The emergency repairs started yesterday evening and are expected to go on until Friday.

They affect the right-hand lane of College Road from the junction with Knightrider Street to the junction with College Avenue, as well as a section of Knightrider Street.

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An SGN spokesman said: "We’re carrying out urgent repairs to our gas network at the junction of College Road and Knightrider Street.

"To safely access our gas network and make the required repairs, we’ve needed to close one lane of both roads at this junction.

"Our engineers are making good progress with the repair work.

"Once the engineering work is complete, we will carry out a period of reinstatement around our work area."