Thames Water says it is unable to provide a completion date for “complex” sinkhole repair work which shut a road.

The water company closed Jubilee Road, near the junction with Leavesden Road, on Sunday (March 12) after a collapsed sewer opened up a hole in the middle of the carriageway.

Early that morning a woman fell into it and swallowed sewage before being admitted to hospital.

Initially, it appeared the issue might be fixed within a few days and the road was provisionally scheduled to reopen at the end of Tuesday (March 14).

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However, this has been extended to March 27, according to One Network, and a Thames Water spokesperson has now provided an update.

They said: "Our teams are working as quickly and safely as possible to make the necessary repairs.

Watford Observer: The hole in Jubilee RoadThe hole in Jubilee Road (Image: Contribution)

“This is a complex repair and we are unable to provide a completion date at this early stage.

“We’d like to apologise to local residents and motorists for any inconvenience caused during this time.”

The diversion route involves using the parallel Brighton Road and appears unlikely to cause major traffic issues.

The hole has since been drained, but when it first opened up it looked "just like a puddle”.

In the early hours of Sunday morning a woman fell into the hole and was later hospitalised due to swallowing sewage and becoming ill.

Watford Observer: Laura Gerber in Jubilee Road/ in hospitalLaura Gerber in Jubilee Road/ in hospital (Image: Laura Gerber)

Her family said hospital staff believe Leptospirosis may have caused the illness.