Subsidence in a main road through Folkestone town centre has forced it to be closed for a week.

Highway engineers today dug a huge hole in Sandgate Road to investigate the cause of the carriageway sinking.

The road is currently closed between the junctions of Cheriton Place and Bouverie Place outside the town's KFC while investigations are carried out.

Kent Highways said the works are expected to be in place for up to seven days, until June 3.

A diversion has been set up via Cheriton Place, West Terrace and then onto Bouverie Place.

The road was closed in an emergency back in January 2014 when a hole occurred on its own. Road bosses decided to close the stretch of Sandgate Road to investigate.

It is not yet known if the latest closure is linked to the previous issues.

It comes just days after a burst water pipe was revealed as the cause for a foot deep hole to emerge in the road surface in Military Road, Sandgate. It was today due to be fixed.