A government minister has been to see a collapsed road and hear how a landslide has impacted the community.

The Minister for the Future of Roads Lilian Greenwood was invited by Dartford MP Jim Dickson (Lab) and Gravesham MP Dr Lauren Sullivan (Lab) to Galley Hill Road in Swanscombe as both battle to secure government support to help repair the carriageway.

The MPs were joined by Kent County Council (KCC) representatives, including Cllr Neil Baker (Con), who is cabinet member for transport and highways, who made it clear that the government’s financial support is critical to help KCC reconnect the community in Swanscombe with the surrounding areas.

Mr Dickson said: “She saw the chaos caused to local residents. We took her through Swanscombe to see what the vehicles were doing in the narrow streets and the sort of problems it is causing residents.

He added: “She’s not promising any immediate solutions but it’s on her radar now.”

Since the collapse of the major road between Swanscombe High Street and Ebbsfleet Football Club’s Kuflink stadium 18 months ago the area has faced huge disruption to bus routes and issues with traffic being diverted through narrow residential streets.

KCC’s contractor has recently been carrying out investigations on the cliff face to help identify the cause of the landslide and the condition of the cliff in a bid to consider appropriate road design options later this year.

A spokesman for KCC said: “As part of the ongoing investigations, KCC is looking into various design solutions and costs for potentially being able to reinstate the cliff which will be shared with the Minister where appropriate, with the request that KCC receives funding to help reconnect the community.”

Cllr Baker added: “Residents are understandably frustrated by the continued closure of Galley Hill Road, as well as other utility outages and issues in the area not caused by the landslide that have disrupted their lives.

“Reinstating Galley Hill Road is a complex issue and there aren’t any quick fixes, but the Minister’s visit is reassuring that this issue is being taken seriously by government and we look forward to continuing conversations with them.”

Mr Dickson said he also took Ms Greenwood to the Dartford Crossing to see the traffic issues there.

He said: “It’s really important for the future transport prospects for Dartford. She saw for herself the pinch point that is the crossing and the huge gridlock that creates for Dartford.

‘She’s not promising any immediate solutions but it’s on her radar now’

“Having seen that, I’m really optimistic that the message she is taking back is that we badly need an additional crossing on the estuary 10 miles further east on the Lower Thames Crossing.”

Swanscombe High Street, near to the collapsed road, has also recently been closed after three sinkholes appeared last weekend.

Residents also faced a large broadband outage earlier this month when fibre cables were damaged impacting 6,000 residents and firms in Swanscombe and the surrounding areas.

It is understood the damage to the cables was accidental and related to ongoing network restoration work following last year’s landslide incident.