Motorists are being forced to endure delays of more than an hour after a vital route into Canterbury was shut.

Kent County Council says the closure of Canterbury Hill - which is used by drivers travelling into the city from Herne Bay and Whitstable - began yesterday to allow emergency roadworks to take place.

Vehicles are being diverted towards Whitstable Road - but despite this residents say they have been caught in lengthy queues.

One local, who took to Facebook to complain about the issues, said: "The road through Tyler Hill is closed again.

"It's traffic chaos.

“KCC have really got to get a hold on this."

Another resident told KentOnline that it took his wife "more than an hour to get to Canterbury" from Herne Bay as traffic "crawled the whole way".

The route has been closed between the junctions with Calais Hill and Giles Lane.

A Kent County Council (KCC) spokesperson said: “We have had to implement a road closure after several issues were identified, requiring immediate attention.

“Our team is working closely with South East Water to ensure they address a water leak. We are also looking at the drainage system and repairing any damage to the road caused by the water leak.

“We hope to have these works completed by 2nd December and apologise for any disruption these urgent works cause.”