Firms which dig up Kent's roads could be forced to pay a premium at peak times on the busiest stretches, it's been revealed.

Called 'lane rental', the scheme is on the drawing board for Kent County Council, with the aim of giving construction firms a big incentive to slash the time they cause disruptions.

Under the scheme, Kent would be able to impose a charge of up to £2,000 per day on companies that dig up the busiest roads on the network at peak times.

KCC would be the first county council to promote such a move. Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste, Bryan Sweetland, said: “This is aimed at making sure firms finish their work on particular roads as quickly as possible, so that disruption to drivers is kept to a minimum.

"The lane rental scheme will also encourage these firms to work at less disruptive times.”

Revenue generated by the Kent Lane Rental Scheme will be invested in further work to cut congestion in Kent.

It follows the introduction two years ago of the ground-breaking Kent Permit Scheme, which requires companies to apply for permission to dig up a road.

This allows the county council to manage and co-ordinate works – getting firms to work at the same time instead of digging holes separately – minimising jams and delays suffered by motorists and other road users.

The permit scheme also allows the council to apply conditions on roadworks, such as increasing the number of gangs, lengthening the hours worked each day, restricting work to holiday periods, and working a seven-day week, to make sure the job gets done in the shortest possible time.

For more on the 12-week Kent Lane Rental Scheme consultation, including roads that would be included visit the council's website.