A busy south Essex road which has been closed since this morning is set to stay shut overnight as crews fix damage caused by a burst water main.

The A132 Runwell Road was closed this morning both ways from Church End Lane to Harold Gardens.

This is after a water main burst in the major Wickford road. The water pipe was fixed this morning but crews will continue to work in the road to fix damage caused by the leak.

Traffic is building in the area during this evening rush hour as Essex and Suffolk Water have confirmed the road will stay closed until tomorrow evening.

A spokesman for the water firm said: "Our team have this morning repaired a burst water pipe in Runwell Road and will continue throughout the rest of today, tonight and into Friday to repair the damage this has caused to the road.

"A road closure between Harold Gardens and Church End Lane has been required to allow this work to be carried out safely and a diversion is in place.

"We expect to be able to re-open the road ahead of the evening rush hour on Friday.

"While there may be a period on Friday when it appears no work is taking place around the closure, this will be to allow the new road surface to become safe to drive upon before the re-opening.

"We apologise for the inconvenience caused to customers and others using the road and thank them for their patience."