The starting date for the dualling of the A21 has been put back by two years.

The Department for Transport confirmed the delay at a meeting with MPs and council leaders.

The work is now expected to start in 2012, meaning that it will come a year later than the opening of the new Pembury Hospital, in 2011.

Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark (Con) said they weren't given any reason for the move.

He said: "There are a number of possible explanations as to why they are doing this, from it being a mistake to them running out of money and trying to kick this into the long grass but we won’t have that. We want a decision taken and we want it to be the right one."

Mr Clark called a meeting for MPs and councils whose areas include the A21, from Sevenoaks to Hastings. Its aim was to force transport minister Tom Harris to push through the road-widening scheme immediately.

Faced with the delay, the theme of the meeting changed - now the group will put pressure on the Government to reverse its decision.

Mr Clark said he was appalled when he found out. "It's a pretty extraordinary way of proceeding, if they've got an announcement to make that they want to put it back then they should have the courage to say that to us directly rather than just sneak it out in some document.

"I hope I'll discover this has been some sort of mistake but I'm not so sure."