Motorists face months of traffic misery as emergency works are carried out on 10 miles of the Thanet Way branded a “safety hazard”.

A temporary 50mph limit was introduced yesterday along the stretch of the dual carriageway between Marshside and Dargate.

Kent County Council (KCC) says it has been forced into action after spells of wet and dry weather have left the road surface uneven.

Repair work will begin shortly, but is set to continue into the new year, bosses admit.

The restrictions will affect the 40,000 motorists who use the road every day.

But KCC says it has no choice but to carry out the works, labelling the stretch a “potential safety hazard for high-speed traffic”.

It does, however, say the majority of the repairs will be carried out overnight in an attempt to minimise the disruption.

County councillor for Herne Bay, Brian MacDowall (Ukip), hopes the works will be completed quickly.

He said: “It is regrettable but unavoidable – you can feel the uneven surface when you are travelling over it.

“I would very much hold them to getting it finished by early next year and hope it can be done – it is a vital stretch of dual carriageway with a very high traffic flow so it has got to be sorted as soon as possible.

“I think there is a likelihood it will cause congestion at busy periods.”

Cllr MacDowall is also a member of the Alliance of British Drivers, which says motorway limits should be set to 80mph with 70mph limits kept for more hazardous areas.

He added: “The worry is how long that 50mph lower limit stays in force.

“The deterioration of the road surface has been going on for a number of years, and one hopes that KCC pushes ahead to find some source of funding to deal with this problem, otherwise that limit could be a permanent one.

“I would regret it very much if it did become permanent on such a busy stretch of road.”

A KCC statement said the uneven conditions had been caused by long bouts of wet and dry weather, causing shrinkage and expansion of the clay the road is built on.

“This is a potential safety hazard for high-speed traffic,” it added.

“We have introduced a temporary 50mph speed limit on a 17km stretch of the A299 Thanet Way, near Whitstable and Herne Bay.

“The reduced speed limit will allow traffic to continue to move freely and safely on both lanes without greatly affecting journey times.

“We are hoping to be able to fix the problems by early 2017, after which the temporary speed restriction will be lifted.

“We will monitor and review the speed limit to make sure it works successfully until the works to solve this issue are complete.”