The worst traffic woes Kent has suffered for years are set to continue until the end of April.

A lack of ferries, motorway contraflows and closures, roadworks, and upcoming railway works mean gridlock is poised to tighten its grip over the county this Easter.

Much to the dismay of motorists, the notorious Brenley Corner roundabout - where the A2, M2 and A299 converge - will remain reduced to one lane for the rest of April as part of a plan to reduce hold-ups at Dover.

Its lane closure - along with the M20, Roundhill Tunnel and A2 closures - is having repercussions across the county's major road network as drivers fearful of mammoth delays look for alternative routes.

Officers are using the Faversham junction as a stopping point to prevent HGV drivers from travelling along the A2 to reach the port and Channel Tunnel.

Rogue hauliers trying to avoid Operation Brock on the M20 are being diverted to go back and join Junction 8 of the M20 at Maidstone.

While helping to reduce congestion approaching Dover, the traffic management scheme has caused severe congestion on the roads around Brenley Corner.

Motorists have been met with hold-ups of up to two hours as they attempt to go about their usual journeys.

The "nightmare" situation at the roundabout is set to be in force until April 30, and highways bosses are warning of yet more congestion over a busy Easter period.

Earlier this month, it was revealed police have issued zero fines to lorry drivers bypassing Brock - despite warnings they would be hit with £300 penalties.

A number of HGV drivers being sent back up the M2 from Brenley Corner are bypassing the long route up to Maidstone and are opting to travel down the twisting A251 from Faversham to Ashford, where they can join the M20 at Junction 9 or 10a.

National Highways has moved the front of the queue to junction 11 to try and stop this.

Lorries have also been using the A28 and getting lost in country roads on the approach to Canterbury as they attempt to avoid the checks at Brenley Corner and get onto the coastbound A2 at Wincheap.

Boughton resident Barbara Harrison says her village has been cut off due to the immense congestion.

"It's a total nightmare," she said.

"There are queues going all the way back to Faversham, and then queues on the A2 coming from Canterbury and on the Thanet Way and motorway.

"We are trapped in the village. You really can't get in and out well. You've got to know the back routes, or you're stuffed.

"If you've got an appointment you have to leave a lot earlier. When the schools were open, buses were stuck and children were getting to school so late.

"Everyone is so fed up with it."

Another fed-up villager said: "It's ridiculous. Driving to Ashford the other day I saw a Belgian lorry lost coming out of Old Wives Lees. Drivers are lost, why on earth would it be up there?"

Meanwhile, over in Folkestone, the town's roads have become a parking lot for lorries.

Penny MacFarlane, who lives in the East Cliff area, said: "You're not going to be able to move soon in the town.

"I wanted to go to the gym but unless I walk there I won't be able to. I can't get to Sainsbury's either. And it's not just me, hundreds of people won't be able to drive.

"I can't understand how this will be fixed.

"Are we going to have to learn to live with this?

"We just want answers. The whole of the south will be blocked soon."

Peter Phillips, who saw HGVs in Canterbury Road, Hawkins Hill and Churchill Avenue, said: "It's absolute chaos. The Roundhill Tunnel has been closed so all the roads are blocked.

"It's madness. Cars are honking their horns but there is nowhere to go."

The Roundhill Tunnel is shut coastbound, while the A2 Jubilee Way is also closed coastbound from the A258 to A20.

The M20 is shut to non-freight traffic between Junction 8 for Maidstone and Ashford, therefore the A20 suffers as a result.

Slow moving traffic on the coastbound approach to Junction 8 of the M20 is nigh-on certain every day due to Brock, with hold-ups stretching as far back as Junction 4.

One Rochester resident who made a trip down the M2 to Canterbury on Tuesday evening said: "It was a horrendous journey.

"I've never seen so many lorries on the carriageway parked up on the hard shoulder, it was chaos.

"The journey to Canterbury would usually take me about 50 minutes, but the journey took more than two hours."

Ashford MP Damian Green has called for changes to be made to the management of Brock after Kent was “plunged back into the worst days of Operation Stack”.

Simon Jones, strategic planning lead at the Kent Resilience Forum, said: “We would like to thank everyone affected for their patience during what was a particularly challenging and prolonged period of disruption to Kent’s road network, surrounding towns, villages and communities.

“While every effort is being made to mitigate the risk of further disruption to the road network, we have to be prepared for the possibility of further hold-ups continuing over the Easter holidays.

"With the return of tourist traffic across the Channel and the continued reduction to ferry services, the threat remains that journeys will take longer than planned."

Police, National Highways and KCC have all been asked for further clarity on the future situation at Brenley Corner, but none have stated a timeframe.

A National Highways traffic order does, however, reveal that the junction will remain one lane for the next two weeks.

KCC's senior highways manager said Brock "had proved its worth" despite being labelled "shambolic" by Kent road-users.

'Are we going to have to learn to live with this...?''

Toby Howe said: "This weekend, Operation Brock has proved why it is needed.

"We would have had far more congestion. It would have been possibly similar to Christmas 2020 when we had lorries on every single road.

"So I think Brock really has proved its worth."

Traffic woes have ignited fears of how the county will cope when more and more houses are built over the coming years.

Thousands of new homes - including 2,500 on Duchy of Cornwall land near to the Brenley Corner junction in Faversham - are set to be added to Swale Borough Council's Local Plan this year.

Faversham MP Helen Whately says the impact of Brock - and the likelihood of more homes - further proves Brenley Corner is in dire need of an upgrade.

"Like many people I’ve been sat in traffic at this roundabout recently," she said.

"I’ve also heard from local residents and businesses about the misery it is causing them. This has got to stop.

“While Brock is making the situation worse, there have been problems with this junction for a long time.

"These problems could increase if Swale Borough Council gets their way with plans for thousands of new homes around Faversham without a plan to improve local infrastructure.

“I’ve made sure this junction is firmly on the Road Minister’s radar. The end could finally be in sight for traffic jams at Brenley Corner, but we cannot take anything for granted."

Away from the roads, Network Rail will be carrying out engineering work on the line between Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Paddock Wood over the Easter weekend.