A crowd-pulling village fete with a Superhero theme has been saved from disaster by a Kent Highways Officer, dubbed by organisers as the village’s very own hero.

They are so delighted with the efforts of Martin Burke, they are even thinking about inviting him to the Lynsted Bank Holiday Monday.

The success of the fete was put under threat by the closure of Lynsted Lane from the A2 London Road junction in Teynham, for gas main replacement, set to last six weeks.

But Mr Burke, Kent Highways road works co-ordinator, came to the rescue and promised the road would be open.

While the fete is safe, villagers from outlying areas, including Newnham and Doddington, are being hit in the pocket because of a complex arrangement to get them home from Sittingbourne or collected from their villages, while the work is carried out.

They must get off the 344/345 Chalkwell bus at Teynham and ring for a taxi to take them the remainder of the journey.

Newnham villagers are paying about £11 for each trip and fear they will have to wait up to a month to be reimbursed.

A KCC spokesmen, said: “I appreciate that this may not be the solution that most residents would have liked, but in the absence of any funding to pay for an additional vehicle, it was the only viable option.

“Unfortunately I can’t say how long the refund process will take, as once the paperwork is completed, it is sent to our office in Maidstone where the cheques are issued. I can only assure people that all cheques will be sent out as soon as possible.”