A major burst water main has sparked a two day road closure.

High Street, Benfleet has been closed for emergency due to the burst main and it will be closed until tomorrow afternoon.

It caused major travel issues both last night and this morning.

It also caused The Hoy and Helmet Pub in the road to close last night.

An Essex and Suffolk Water spokesperson said: “A 9 inch water main burst on High Street in Benfleet yesterday morning, because of the size of the pipe and the power of the water this caused considerable damage to the road.

“Our crews attended immediately and had the burst contained and pipe repaired by 1am.

“We now need to repair the damaged road surface and are working with Essex Council to get this done as quickly as possible.

“A temporary road closure is in place while we do this, and we anticipate this being in place until tomorrow afternoon however if this changes we will let people know via our social media channels.

“We’d like to apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to motorists and residents in the affected area, and thank them for their patience and understanding while we get things back to normal.”

Rebecca Harris Tory MP for Castle Point said she is urging the water authority to get the road reopened as soon as possible to help the traffic chaos.

She posted on Facebook this morning: "I have just received confirmation from Essex and a Suffolk Water that they have finished the pipe work that closed Benfleet High Road by the Hoy and Helmet yesterday. However they also told me their emergency works permit gives them until 1st October to reinstate the road!

"I will be calling the management of Essex and Suffolk Water this morning to get them to ensure that the work to reinstate the road starts today and they do not sit on their hands.

"Emergency works need to be done, but we cannot have our Borough snarled up with traffic for any longer than is necessary. No matter what their permit says I want a commitment from them that they will start reinstating the road today."