It seems to be the season for roadworks and traffic chaos, but one village feels it is being particularly hard hit.

David Hall, chairman of Bearsted Parish Council, said: “It’s not just the immediate village; the issues have spilled over into Caring Lane and most of the surrounding routes.

“Of course, our infrastructure needs to be maintained, but there appears to be little coordination between the utility companies and there is a lack of information to villagers.

“Our school and shopper bus has been heavily impacted and local businesses are reporting a great deal of lost trade.”

The village found out only last Friday that Southern Gas was closing Ware Street at Bell Bridge for a further two weeks.

Cllr Hall said: “No advanced warning was given.”

He said: “I have never before encountered anything like the current position for Bearsted and the east of Maidstone.

“We had been promised that the chaos in the village at least would end with the re-opening date of Ware Street on September 4. Now it is shut for a further two weeks.

“This has impacted on Compaid, the special needs school bus operator, which has a pick-up at the Bell.”

In addition, in the last week, the area has suffered road closures in Water Lane, Thurnham, while Openreach replaced decaying telegraph poles, and in Hockers Lane, Detling, where KCC was repainting road markings.

There is also currently a restricted carriageway in Sandy Mount due to gas works and in Clarendon Close due to waterworks. There is a lane closure in New Cut Way due to roadworks and also in Newnham Court Way.

The six-month closure of Upper Road in Leeds for water main repairs has also had a knock-on effect on Bearsted.

The official diversion is via Willington Street, but Cllr Hall said there were diversion signs on the A20 directing traffic down Otham Lane, and other diversion signs at the dip in Caring Lane, directing traffic along Caring Road and up Otham Lane.

Cllr Hall said: “These roads are both single-track roads, with Caring Road little more than a dirt track! How has this been allowed to happen?

“The result is that Otham Lane and Otham Street are now absolutely chockablock with transit vans and pick-up trucks, which are far too wide for the lane.

“Even at the very few passing places, there is no room for two large vehicles to get past each other without damage to the verges or properties.

“The aggression we are witnessing through Otham Lane and Otham Street is absolutely horrendous!”

Recently Chegworth Lane was blocked for several hours after an HGV became stuck taking what the driver thought was a diversion for Willington Street.

KCC has shut a number of back lanes around Upper Road, except for access, in a bid to protect Leeds residents from excessive rat-running.

But Cllr Hall said it would have been better to have left Caring Lane open.

He said: “Caring Lane is a lot wider than Otham Lane and Otham Street, where the traffic is going instead.”