Suffolk Highways pumped away 24,000 gallons of water on Friday as they continue work to reopen a flooded road that has been closed since New Year's Eve.

The A143 Compiegne Way in Bury St Edmunds has been closed since Sunday, December 31 after heavy rainfall left it submerged. 

The prolonged closure has caused heavy congestion in and around the town centre as motorists try to find alternative routes. 

Vandalism to control gear delayed clear-up works in the west Suffolk town but teams from the authority where able to clear 72,000 gallons of water from the road on Wednesday.

On Friday, a spokesperson for Suffolk Highways said: "Today, we continued clearing water from Compiegne Way, a further 24,000 gallons.

"We also removed 12,000 gallons from the lagoons that form part of the drainage infrastructure for the roundabout of the A143/A134 (at the northern end of Compiegne Way), to ensure that there is increased capacity for surface water ahead of forecast rainfall over the weekend.

"More water will be removed from these lagoons throughout the weekend to help prevent further flooding here, and in lieu of repairs being undertaken to the vandalised control equipment that run the pumps that take the water to the River Lark." 

The spokesperson said teams had been clearing silt and debris from the road and a tanker and jetting machine would be at the site working on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 

The spokesman added it was hoped that on Monday the pump chamber would be clear so they can assess the pumps and take a decision on whether they were serviceable or needed to be replaced.

Repairs could then take place early next week.

"Our works are dependent on weather so we will review progress made over the weekend and update you on Monday," the spokesperson said.

"Thank you again for your patience and we apologise for the ongoing inconvenience this closure is causing, these works remain our top priority."