A petition has been launched to make utility companies carrying out roadworks in a town pay a daily rate to keep roads shut.

People living in Swanley have been experiencing “havoc” due to the “constant” works taking place in and around the area.

Cllr Perry Cole (Con), who represents Swanley on Kent County Council and Hartley & Hodsoll Street on Sevenoaks council, says those living in the town are being disrupted every week.

He told KentOnline: “Swanley is the second largest town in the Sevenoaks district, it is a major area. But there’s only really one main road.

“What struck me was the sheer number of times utility companies were coming out, sometimes digging the same stretch of road up. It becomes tiresome and frustrating for residents.

“Utilities play an important role in our lives. We rely on electricity, gas, water, and broadband, and we would soon complain if maintenance wasn’t done and we lost access to any of these core services.

“However, on many occasions, utility companies appear to treat our residents with disdain – closing down entire carriageways for up to 72 hours before any sign of workmen appearing.”

He added that companies often sometimes took “several days” to remove the barriers once work was completed.

“To me, that’s wholly unacceptable and causes a huge amount of disproportionate inconvenience in an area that cannot suffer any degree of disruption,” he explained.

Swanley has one main road, London Road, which then leads to Bartholomew Way, which goes towards Dartford, and Lullingstone Avenue which goes towards Hextable – as well as back towards the M25.

This means, to get from one side of the town to the other, you have to go through the centre.

Cllr Cole said: “If there are any problems or roadworks around the High Street or London Road, then that creates a huge amount of problems very quickly and gridlocks the centre of town and surrounding roads.”

In the next two weeks alone, there are more than 20 sets of roadworks taking place across the town.

He is petitioning for Swanley to be included in the Kent Lane Rental Scheme, in the hope it will help to reduce the length and disruption of roadworks in the area.

The KCC scheme gives companies that need to close a road or lane to complete highway works a “financial incentive to make sure it is carried out in a less disruptive way”.

A daily rate is charged to companies working on specific roads and during busy periods, such as rush hour.

Cllr Cole added: “The scheme is open to only a very small percentage of roads in Kent, where utilities are charged up to £2,000 per day for keeping roads, sections of roads or lanes closed.

“That is a huge financial incentive to make them work faster to resolve issues.

“Not only would these charges encourage utilities to undertake roadworks in a very swift manner, but it also encourages utilities to collaborate with each other rather than digging up a section of road multiple times, and causing multiple sets of roadworks every month.”

Many of those living in the area have signed the petition, which has almost reached 500 signatures.

One person said: “There seems to be no joined-up thinking in planning these roadworks.

“The population is growing every day in the town. There are only two ways in and out of Swanley and it can’t cope.

“It’s affecting the quality of life for residents.”

Another added: “These continuous, lengthy and always overrunning roadworks cause traffic chaos across Swanley and impact residents’ daily life – including school runs, medical appointments and work attendance.”

Several people said they were “fed up” with the traffic in the town which causes “misery, disruption and havoc” for many.

One business owner added: “I’m a small business owner who needs to navigate the local roads to get to various clients' houses in Swanley and surrounding villages.

“These constant roadworks hold me up and make me late to my clients which in turn has a negative impact on my business.”

Clive Bairsto is the chief executive of Street Works UK, the UK's only trade association representing utilities and their contractors on street works issues.

He said: “Utility companies perform a vital role up and down the country, including in Swanley.

“Utilities link local communities to the services they require, all while working to the highest standards and complying with rigorous inspections to ensure works are high quality and lasting.

“As the trade association for the street works sector, Street Works UK, along with wider industry, is engaging constructively with local authorities on Lane Rental policies.

“By working together, we can ensure that both utilities and local authorities can continue to deliver infrastructure works whilst giving customers and road users the speed of delivery, lack of congestion, and transparency they expect."

CityFibre is not currently undertaking any works in the town, so said it was not in a position to comment.

Thames Water declined to comment on the Kent Lane Rental Scheme.