Furious residents have slammed a council for failing to fix a single pothole during a seven-week closure of a main road.

Newtown Road in Ashford shut on July 22 while electrical cables were laid and only reopened on Thursday evening.

The closure of the stretch connecting South Willesborough to the town centre caused headaches for motorists as the route is used by thousands of drivers every day.

But residents say they are now even more frustrated because scores of holes remain unfilled.

Although Kent County Council (KCC) owns and manages public roads across the county, the recent spate of roadworks were instead carried out by UK Power Networks.

Yet homeowner Darren Babbage says the authority's decision to leave the route in its current state is a huge risk to people's safety.

"I understand there are costs, but it was a sensible time to repair the holes as all the machinery was there and the road was closed," the Wainwright Place resident said.

"Half the time it seemed like work wasn't going on so the road could have been made smooth.

"Newtown Road is one of the main arteries in and out of Ashford. The road is just breaking up so it is bad and some of the potholes are two or three inches deep."

Mr Babbage, who has lived in Wainwright Place for eight years, says the problem is made worse by multiple cavities on a sharp bend outside the former Newtown railway works, which are currently being turned into multimillion-pound film studios.

"I've seen people almost lose it on their bikes because there are a lot of craters," the 48-year-old added.

"How there hasn't been a fatality yet I don't know."

Rebecca Woodcock is another who believes action should have been taken during the closure.

The 43-year-old says her brother's car was damaged when it struck a pothole just metres away from her home in Newtown Road when he made a recent trip from Essex.

"My brother came down from Canvey Island for a weekend recently and actually broke his wheel because of one of the potholes,” she said.

"So that was more money which people just don't need to spend.

"The road keeps getting closed and they're not dealing with the biggest problem which is the potholes.

"People complain as we pay our council tax but this is why something should be done.

"The road has got worse since they built a new estate opposite the studios (Penny Place).

"Lorries with materials being brought in haven't helped and you also have Network Rail opposite too.

"But I think the potholes stop people coming through this way to use the pub and shop. It's just not safe to have people swerving out of the way."

Pub landlords previously told KentOnline about their fears of trade plummeting prior to the summer repair work.

Now Gary Taylor of The Alfred Arms says it is "disgusting" no maintenance was carried out.

The 54-year-old explained: "It's just absolutely ridiculous. I don't understand why it wasn't resurfaced while the road was shut.

"To close it for that long and not bother resurfacing is disgusting.

"It is one of the worst roads in the town for potholes, but obviously not bad enough to sort it while it's been shut for weeks.

"So they'll end up having to close it again at some point in the future."

When asked whether he thought the amount of potholes could put punters off visiting his pub, Mr Taylor said "it may do".

"People don't want to get their cars damaged so could say they don't want to go down the road," he added.

"It's so bad each hole may as well be a swimming pool at the minute with the amount of rain we're getting.

"So while I'm glad it has reopened, what it looks like now is just disappointing."

A spokesperson for KCC says efforts to repair the pothole-ridden road are on the cards.

However, the authority stopped short of providing a date for when works will begin.

They said: "Newtown Road is set to have junction alterations and carriageway resurfacing in the near future.

"The works are being carried out by the developer at the old railway yard site, as part of their works.

"In the interim, KCC is arranging some minor repairs to any eroded areas."

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for UK Power Networks added: "We are keen to collaborate with partners wherever possible to minimise the impact of roadworks.

"In this case, the council has plans in place for this road."

Ashford International Development Company is behind the plans for the long-awaited studios opposite Penny Place in Newtown Road.

The organisation – 65% owned by Ashford Borough Council and 35% by developers Quinn Estates - says it is planning to start the roadworks project before Christmas.

Alongside resurfacing, two entrances will be created to the site alongside the inclusion of a pedestrian crossing.

Netflix, Amazon and HBO have all previously been linked with the development.