Residents who live near a busy junction in Maidstone say ever since a road closed as part of a six month experiment, traffic has been a 'disaster'.

Access to Cranborne Avenue from the A229 Loose Road was blocked two weeks ago as Kent County Council (KCC) trials changes to the junction which are designed to improve traffic flow.

Jadzia Samuel from KMTV reports on the issue

It involves demolishing The Wheatsheaf pub and replacing the junction with a roundabout and a landscaped open space while permanently closing access Cranborne Avenue.

Resident William Laidler feels the trial has caused chaos, adding: "What they have done is thrown a large amount of traffic onto minor roads in this area that are just not fit for purpose.

"Motorists living here are suffering and will continue to suffer as long as that road remains closed.

"There's no need to adjust that junction and if they're taking the pub down and replacing it with a garden with seats, who wants to sit in the middle of a junction?"

Kenneth Glozier who has lived Cranborne Avenue for 16 years says he appreciates the quieter traffic but is concerned about what the road will be like when the school holidays end.

He said: "It doesn't bother us too much but I can understand how it could upset people, particularly mothers who have got to take their children to school coming from the Shepway estate who have to drive miles around.

"We don't understand the theory of what it is going to do with this junction because it keeps changing."

Some argue that a six month trial is too long but KCC says it is necessary to collect all the data it needs.

Cllr Paul Cooper (Con) from KCC said: "Six months is an absolute nightmare but we have to keep it in place for that long to get a decent show of how traffic movements flow and it makes sense because at the moment we're in the Easter holidays so the traffic flow is very different to how it would be in a couple of weeks when children are back at school."

A consultation will be launched to capture views on the scheme and is due to close in September.