Furious neighbours have compared their residential street to a "patchwork quilt" following the completion of long-awaited road improvements.

People living in Bybrook Road, Kennington, say their road is bumpier than ever before after two weeks of work by Kent County Council.

But the authority says the resurfacing has been completed using a new trial method known as “concrete rehabilitation” which saves money and will allow the council to maintain more residential concrete roads.

Neighbour David Davison feels the work has been "bodged" and believes more care should have been taken by contractors.

"I am surprised this is the finished look - it is shocking and terrible,” he said.

"It is bodged and will come up in the winter when it gets colder.”

During the project, which was completed last week, resident Susan Fowora says at one point she could not breathe due to the dust.

“I really am suffering, and the doctor told me if I cannot breathe again I need to go straight to A&E,” she said.

“For the last couple of weeks I have been so ill – especially for the last two days. I have had to take time off work.

“The amount of dust they created was disgusting.

“When someone says the road is being redone, you expect it to be pukka. But when I saw the yellow lines I thought ‘you must be joking’. I cannot believe it is finished.”

Matt Stevens says the road is now noisier to drive on since the work has been completed.

“I do not know what else they can do apart from put a layer on top, but it is like a patchwork quilt,” he said.

“It is quite a busy road and it seems noisier now. It looks a state and it is bumpier now when you drive down it.

“I appreciate something needed to be done but maybe with a little bit more money it could have been done properly.”

Despite the concerns, Joanne George says the road is better than when it was filled with potholes.

“At least my tyres are not getting messed up,” she said.

“It is what it is; I am just glad my tyres are not getting wrecked.

“I think it does not look that bad. As long as it is a safe road to drive on, that is all I really care about.”

Bockhanger ward representative Cllr Diccon Spain (Lab) says it is positive that the section of road has finally been resurfaced amid the financial strain KCC is currently under.

In July, bosses said the authority needed to make £86m in savings in order to balance its books in the next year.

“Given the dire financial situation KCC is in it’s good that this section of Bybrook Road has been repaired,” Cllr Spain said.

“I suspect KCC has taken the decision to repair with concrete based on value for money and durability.

“It's my understanding that concrete surfaces can have a far longer lifespan than tarmac and are much more able to put up with high temperatures in summer and freeze/thaw in winter than tarmac.

“With tarmac, we would probably be back to multiple potholes on this stretch of Bybrook Road pretty quickly which is something I am sure no one wants, whereas with concrete it should be pothole free for a lot longer.”

The road was shut for a fortnight from Wednesday, August 9, while engineers carried out the work, with a 1.4-mile diversion put in place.

A KCC spokesman said: “We have recently completed resurfacing work in part of Bybrook Road, using a new method we are trialling called concrete rehabilitation.

“This process involves removing the existing tarmac layer to expose the original concrete road structure.

“The concrete has been repaired and properly sealed, providing a road surface suitable for traffic use.

“While we appreciate the considerable visual change, this method of road maintenance is more financially economical and environmentally friendly, which will allow us to maintain more residential concrete roads than otherwise would be the case.”

Bybrook Road was closed for a week earlier this year when a "Twenty is Plenty" scheme was introduced to 40 roads in the area.

The zebra crossing between Grasmere Road and Belmont Road was raised in the hope it will force speeding motorists to slow down, but had to be rebuilt just three months later following concerns over its height.

On the other side of Ashford, KCC has used the same “concrete rehabilitation” method has been used in Jemmett Road and Brookfield Road.