WORKMEN were today due to finish repairing flood damage to the A127 responsible for mile-long traffic jams.

With the eastbound carriageway down to a single lane, traffic in Southend backed up from the Bell Junction, to the Tesco roundabout yesterday .

The other lane was closed because the huge volume of water, which gushed into a storm drain near the Toby Carvery during Saturday’s downpours forced up the road surface and buckled it. Anglian Water started work on the road after getting an urgent works permit from Southend Council on Tuesday afternoon.

Independent councillor for Prittlewell Ric Morgan, who lives just off the A127, in Hoblythick Lane, said: “It was absolutely choc-a-bloc.

“It’s a sensitive road and for people in Prittlewell it’sapain in the neck, because even more people use these back roads as rat-runs.”

A spokesman for Anglian Water said: “We’ve been working hard to repair the road and manhole on the A127 after Saturday’s exceptional weather.

“The repair was complex, but we have made good progress and the road should be back to normal later today, with all traffic management removed.

“We are sorry for the disruption caused to road users during the early part of this week.”