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A beloved UK seaside town is threatened with travel chaos as emergency repairs are undertaken. Sandown's high street on the Isle of Wight faces severe traffic disruption as work commences on a collapsed sewer pipe, forcing Southern Water to close a large chunk of the town centre.

At the heart of Sandown Bay, Sandown is the classic seaside town, with beautiful beaches at the top of the UK sunshine leagues. The area offers attractions like the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, the Dinosaur Isle Museum, and nearby Culver Down with stunning views.

The closure affects the stretch between St John's Road and Melville Street, covering approximately 49 metres.

The works involve urgent repairs to a collapsed sewer pipe beneath the footway and are expected to be completed by midnight on Friday, September 19, or earlier. A diversion is in place, via Avenue Road, Broadway and Melville Street.

Signed diversion routes will be in place during the closure, and reasonable access will be maintained for properties along the affected section.

Southern Vectis has adjusted bus routes, with services to continue to stop at Sandown High Street before diverting to the Pier Street stop on Beachfield Road.

The website announced: "Due to emergency roadworks, Sandown High Street is currently closed by Sainsbury's. Bus routes 2, 3, 8, 24, 62, 68, and 72 will continue to serve the Sandown High Street bus stop before diverting locally to reach the Pier Street bus stop on Beachfield Road. No bus stops are being missed."

One resident said on Reddit: "I live in Lake on a road with quite a few families, about 5 minute walk from the beach. I personally enjoy it. The beach is great all year round, there's the Dip and Sip society every Sunday at 9am, which is family (and dog) friendly sea swimming followed by cake and coffee, and there's at least three nice cafes/restaurants along the seafront. I spend most of my weekends at Fin's cafe if I can afford it. There's also easy access to lots of cycle routes, as well as lots of walks, and the leisure centre is nearby for the pool/gym.

"In summer, the beach lake way never gets too busy. Yes, the high street ain't that great, but my neighbours are friendly and I like beach life with my regular haunt cafes. It's also only a short train to ryde pier, which means easy access to the ferry to portsmouth for a day out if you like."

Another one added: "One thing I'll say about Sandown is there aren't many decent pubs. Beach is beautiful and it has all the shops you need. It's a pretty decent place overall but in summer is probably the second busiest place on the island after Ryde."