Emergency repairs have forced the closure of a busy tunnel for the foreseeable future, highways bosses have warned.

A stretch of the A299 Royal Harbour Approach in Ramsgate has been closed because a fire system is "out of action".

The road, which is used by traffic heading to the port, was closed on April 6 and an initial reopening date of April 21 has since been described as "inaccurate" by KCC.

A spokesman said: "The Ramsgate Tunnel was closed at 9.15am on April 6 following a failure of the firefighting equipment in tunnel.

"The tunnel cannot operate without this fire system fully functioning.

"The route is closed from Canterbury Road East to Military Road and a diversion route is in place via Canterbury Road East, B2054 London Road, St Augustine’s Road, Paragon and Royal Parade.

"We are working to resolve the fault and will reopen the tunnel as soon as it is safe to do so."

The closure has proved frustrating for locals and motorists.

Nick Jones tweeted on Wednesday: "Thanks @KentHighways , it’s so lovely having a peaceful coffee with lorry’s chugging out fumes!

"Ramsgate tunnel to the port still closed after 5 days!! Just how long does it take to change a [lightbulb]?"