KINGSHILL Road in Old Town is to remain closed until the weekend causing misery to drivers who rely on the busy route.

Thames Water had hoped to reopen it yesterday but have blamed delays on making sure the sewer underneath the road is repaired to a standard so there will not be any issues in the future.

Yesterday a spokesman from the utility company said: “We are sorry for the delay re-opening the road.

“This is because we want to reduce the risk of future problems by putting in a strengthened new road surface. We hope to be finished by the weekend.”

The road has been closed since Thursday, June 30 after subsidence appeared during morning rush hour traffic. This then caused a small hole in the road to appear.

For the past two weeks contractors from Cappagh Contractors Construction have been working on behalf of Thames Water to fix the sewer, which included excavating the road.

Speaking last week a spokesman said: “We’re sorry to anyone affected by our sewer repairs, we know this is a key route and we are working as fast as possible to get it reopened.

“Our pipe is located in a tricky position, making this a complicated job - but it is vital we do it now to avoid further damage to the road and to reduce the risk of future disruption."