Businesses in Ashford town centre are experiencing a severe drop in trade due to ongoing repairs of the controversial shared space scheme.

The ‘essential’ maintenance is estimated to take 22 weeks, meaning that shops in the lower half of Bank Street are likely to be badly affected throughout the normally busy summer months.

Ari Ali, 46, owner of the Zone One newsagents, said the roadworks, which started last week, are already affecting his livelihood.

He said: “It has killed my business because the buses are not coming any more. If people aren’t coming I have to really fight to get enough to pay my rent.”

He was also critical of the lack of correspondence and consultation from Kent County Council (KCC) prior to the repairs beginning, adding: “They should have talked to the business areas and thought about the best time to do this.

"It isn’t urgent.”

KCC say they are aiming to have all the repairs completed by Christmas.

One shop owner said the amount of customers entering his store had dropped significantly since the repairs started last week.

Om Roka, 40, owner of the Himalayan Gurkha Mini Mart said: “If you look at the result of the last two weeks, there is a 70% reduction in people coming into my shop.

“If you look at the result of the last two weeks, there is a 70% reduction in people coming into my shop." - Om Roka

“Dust comes in the shop if I leave the door open, and people think the shop is shut if the door is closed.”

The maintenance works will replace paving slabs that were laid when Ashford’s shared space scheme was introduced in 2008, which have since cracked and broken.

The controversial Flume pavement sculpture in Bank Street - which cost £100,000 to install - is also being removed and recycled into hard core.

A restaurant worker, who asked not to be named, said: “The works are needed because you can see the paving slabs are crumbling.

"It should have been done properly in the first place and now it’s affecting all of us.”

Susan Sun, 52, owner and therapist at the Dr Herbs and Sun acupuncture clinic, said: “Since May 26, I have had no customers at all when before I had some every day.”

She attributes the problem to one aspect of the works: “The buses have stopped running, and many of my customers are old and come by bus, so it’s a big inconvenience.”

However it appears that not all businesses are being hit quite as hard.

Sefa Kussan, 45, proprietor of The Ashford Café, said that while business had been slow recently, it had not stopped altogether: “The last two weeks the business has been very quiet, I finish early every day.

"It will affect us more later, I think, but not so much now.”

A spokesman for KCC said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these roadworks.

“The existing surface has worn out and become damaged and we want to provide a brand new surface, designed to last well into the future.

“Work is progressing on schedule and phase one remains on track to be completed within the next seven weeks.”