The reopening of a residential road which was shut when a sinkhole opened up has been delayed for another fortnight.

Repairs are currently taking place at the junction of Gatland Lane in Maidstone after the pavement and carriageway collapsed.

The hole first appeared on Monday, December 18, and a fence was put up around the affected area.

South East Water confirmed it was alerted to a burst on its network in the early hours.

At 12.30pm a team was sent and began fixing a four-inch diameter main that was damaged.

During this time, the utility company received around 50 calls from customers experiencing low pressure or no water. Supplies were reported to have returned to normal by the afternoon.

A witness described the void as four metres by two-and-a-half metres, and up to a metre-and-a-half deep.

The road was also closed to allow utility repair and maintenance work to be carried out.

It was expected to reopen at 5pm on Thursday, December 21. This was then extended over Christmas and the New Year until today (January 5).

However, it has now been delayed for another two weeks.

The development comes after another sinkhole opened further up the pavement on Wednesday, January 3.

Fences and barriers have been put around it.

Andy Beston, regional network manager for South East Water, said: “We are sorry to all those affected by the continued disruption while we work to repair the burst main in Gatland Lane.

“We are working as quickly as possible, but the repair has been complicated by our need to work with the other utility companies which have pipes and cables within the road.

“The safety of the public and our team while we carry out this work is our priority, while avoiding damage to other infrastructure and ensuring the repair is completed as swiftly as possible.

“We anticipate the road will now be reopened on Friday, January 19.

“Water supply to customers has been maintained while we work to complete the repair, but are sorry for the local traffic disruption caused.”

This isn’t the first time the area has been subject to large sinkholes.

Two years ago one appeared along Tonbridge Road, and in 2020 there were four incidents alone.