M26 in Kent reopens after 'severe water leak' closed westbound carriageway

A stretch of motorway in Kent that was closed due to a 'severe water leak' has reopened this morning (Friday 14 July).

The M26, which links the M25 and M20, was closed westbound between Junctions 2a and 2 on Sunday evening, when the leak was discovered.

At the time it was thought the leak may have caused significant damage to the foundations of the carriageway.

South East Water says its staff have been working around the clock to fix the leak.

The carriageway remained closed yesterday afternoon (Thursday 13 July) to allow water to dissipate.

Speaking on Monday, South East Water said: "We're currently working around the clock to fix a burst main on our network which is located in the M26 motorway area.

"This is proving to be quite complex due to the location of our apparatus on the network being in an area overgrown with vegetation.

"Unfortunately this means we can't give you an estimated completion time at the moment, but we are working hard with Highways England to clear the area and resolve this issue as soon as possible.

"Once again we're really sorry for the interruption and we're doing everything we can to get this repaired as soon as possible."