A major road in south Essex has been fully reopened following two days of traffic chaos.

Benfleet's London Road has been reopened in both directions after a burst water main forced the westbound lanes to be closed on Wednesday evening.

Yesterday evening, Castle Point MP Rebecca Harris told residents she was aware the closures were "causing utter misery" for motorists, as traffic queues quickly built up across south Essex.

The Tory MP says she will be taking action to ensure utilities companies maintain their network in the area "better".

This comes as councillor Russell Savage has called for "serious money" to be spent on infrastructure in Castle Point.

Ms Harris said: "I have been kept informed by the Essex County Councillor for Benfleet throughout the day and my office has made sure that Essex and Suffolk Water are aware of the disruption this has caused for thousands of residents.

"I am grateful that Essex and Suffolk Water responded quickly and have been working 24/7 to resolve the issue.

"This does however highlight again that a single problem on one of the three main entrances and exits to our borough is all it take for the local road network to snarl up completely.

"I will be writing to the Chief Executives of all the main local utilities companies asking them to maintain their network better rather than simply patching leaks when they occur."