CONTRACTORS working on Stanford-le-Hope's 'hole that won't go away' say it should be out to bed by this evening.

Work by the Cadent gas company to repair the latest gas leak on a troublesome spot on London Road started last week and the main was fixed on Thursday.

The hole was left half-filled over the weekend but contractors turned up today (Monday, 21 September) to finish the job and say the traffic lights will be taken away tonight after the tarmac has set.

However, it is likely to be dug up again soon as Cadent still have to complete a whole main replacement. Work was abandoned on the half completed and botched programme earlier this year.

London Road was fully closed in a major programme of work to replace the whole main from Butts Road to Southend Road, but after weeks of disruption Cadent brought the works to a halt - saying the rest of the main would be replaced at a later date.

Not that London Road users had just one disruption today, the Rookery Corner junction also is subject to part closure while engineers repair its traffic lights.