An investigation is underway after a mains pipe burst, with thousands of gallons of water spilling out during emergency gas works.

Ruins Barn Road in Sittingbourne has been shut for the last three weeks.

The route is regularly used for accessing the Kent Science Park (KSP) and Sittingbourne Football Club, as well as travelling to Bredgar, Bexon and Milstead villages.

Engineers from SGN have been on site since Thursday, April 24.

A signed diversion route is in place via Ruins Barn Road, Bexon Lane, The Street, Primrose Lane, Bredgar Road, Tunstall Road and vice versa.

However, the road closure was lifted on Friday, May 2, after fears that fans could be delayed in watching Sittingbourne FC’s playoff final match vs Burgess Hill.

Council leader Tim Gibson and MP Kevin McKenna stepped in to demand the road be temporarily reopened. It was shut again the following morning.

There have since been reports of a leak, which was first flagged on South East Water’s website last Friday evening (May 9).

One resident in a local Facebook group described the flooding.

He said: “Locals, please spread the word, Ruins Barn Road is closed for the foreseeable.

“This is due to ongoing gas works and a burst water main. You cannot get to the KSP for work or football or to Bredgar.

“Diversions [are] in place, but countless are ignoring. It is residents’ only access.”

Another commented: “Pain in the bum, having to do diversion as [it] adds extra time to journey and narrow lanes.

“But they have a job to do, so have to just put up with it.”

South East Water confirmed it had identified the source of the leak and thanked customers who took the time to report it.

Regional network manager Mat White added: “We’ve completed the repair required on a burst main on Ruins Barn Road in Sittingbourne.

“Gas works in the area caused damage to our pipe, and we worked with the other utility company involved to be able to complete the repair yesterday (May 13) under their existing road closure to minimise disruption to the public.

“Investigations are underway to establish how this happened.

“We know it’s frustrating seeing any water being lost, and we apologise to customers for the disruption and inconvenience caused by this.”

A spokesman for SGN confirmed that their team did not hit any pipes at the site.

Water from an unknown source had travelled into the excavation and they had flagged it with the local water company.

Despite this, work is “progressing well” and the road is expected to reopen on Friday, May 30.

He added: “We were carrying out emergency repairs to our gas pipe in this location; however, after closer inspection, we made the decision to fully replace this section of our network to ensure reliable gas supplies to the local area.”