Work to repair a collapsed sewer on a major through-road will now continue until the New Year.

Anglian Water began emergency work to repair a damaged sewer on Station Square in Lowestoft on October 1, with the work scheduled to run for about five weeks.

However, the water company has now confirmed that after 'further investigations' a larger section of collapsed pipework has been found and the emergency works will now have to 'continue until the New Year.'

The works have led to the closure of the road going south between the Katwijk Way junction and the Battery Green Road junction, with vehicles diverted up Katwijk Way to St Peter's Street, before turning south down Battery Green Road towards the Bascule Bridge – a 1.4 mile diversion.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: 'The first phase of repair work began at the end of September and was due to last for four weeks initially. 'Unfortunately, further investigations have revealed a larger section of collapsed pipework than first thought, meaning that work will need to continue and will be completed by the beginning of January.'

With traffic approaching from Denmark Road continuing to be diverted via Katwijk Way, access for the emergency services will be maintained throughout the repair works.

Regan Harris, from Anglian Water, said: 'We appreciate this sewer is on a busy main road and we're very sorry for any inconvenience the work may cause. 'Unfortunately the nature of the work we do means we can't always see the full extent of a repair until we uncover it, and in this case, it is larger than we first anticipated.

'Damage to pipes like this can be caused by localised ground movement, and in Lowestoft especially, the soil is very loose and sandy, making it prone to moving. We hate disrupting customers and road users, but the work needs to be carried out and we'll be doing everything we can to minimise disruption.'

Further investigations will also be carried out to survey the sewer pipes in the surrounding area, but this work will take place in the New Year.

Regan Harris added: 'Our teams are making good progress with the repair and will continue to work extended hours and over the weekend to complete the work as quickly as possible. Our aim is to be completed before Christmas.

'Currently we're using over land pipes to ensure our customers in the local area can continue to use their toilets and washing machines as normal.'