A frustrated landlord fears roadworks outside his historic pub until Christmas Eve could kill trade as he battles to delay the project.

Maurice ‘Mossy’ O’Flynn, who runs The Three Horseshoes in Hernhill, between Canterbury and Faversham, has been left staggered by news of gas repairs.

Between November 4 and December 24, SGN works will see old mains on the carriageway replaced with new, plastic pipes with an 80-year life expectancy.

But the almost two months-long works outside his Shepherd Neame tavern will come at a crucial time before January’s dreaded footfall downturn.

His pleas to postpone the project until after the festive season have fallen on deaf ears.

The landlord said: “I've gotten a reply back from SGN and it's not in my favour, let's put it that way.

“They're telling me that they cannot and will not move the dates and that is quite a killer for pub trade.

“There's been no consultation; I just received an email with the road closures, the dates and that was it. It was them saying thanks for your cooperation basically.”

From November 4 to December 2, Staplestreet Road will be closed from The Paddock to Dawes Road – which will also see the latter closed when there are excavations open.

Staple Street will shut from November 25 to December 24 between the Staplestreet Road junction and the A299 Thanet Way.

There will also be a time where the pub is inaccessible from both directions while Church Hill opposite will likely become clogged due to the nature of the works.

SGN bosses have since told KentOnline there will be no changes to its plans but say the landlord is welcome to try and claim compensation from the firm – something he is already in the process of doing.

“Thankfully for the period November of December last year, we were very, very busy so I’ve got those figures,” said Mr O’Flynn.

“If it comes to comparing like for like, unfortunately, somebody in this country will have to pay for it.

“I'm not going to like the loss of it, I can tell you that.”

Waseem Hanif, spokesperson for SGN said: “We’re preparing to carry out essential gas network upgrades in Hernhill and Boughton-under-Blean.

“This work is safety critical and was planned in close consultation with Kent County Council. It is also part of our 30-year programme of work to replace our old mains, reaching the end of their useful lives, with new, reliable plastic pipe.

“We want to ensure our work is planned with the Boughton-under-Blean community in mind, so we’re working alongside Kent County Council to carefully consider any measures we can take to minimise the disruption our work may cause.

“All local businesses will remain open as normal during this essential project.”

As well as the Staplestreet Road roadworks, Horselees Road will shut from October 7 to November 1 from door numbers two and 37.

Built in 1690, The Three Horseshoes is one of Kent’s oldest pubs and even predates Shepherd Neame, which was officially founded in 1698.

The village tavern has been under the banner of the brewery for 275 years.