Responsibility for a crash on one of the main roads in and out of a town lies firmly with councillors, it has been claimed.

The A229 Loose Road in Maidstone was blocked after the collision involving a vehicle coming out of Plains Avenue.

Residents have been demanding the reopening of the Cranborne Avenue junction by the Wheatsheaf pub.

They warned the closure - an "experiment" to see if it would improve traffic flow - had made it more dangerous for drivers to join the A229.

With no access via Cranborne Avenue, motorists’ nearest option is to use Plains Avenue – but that means crossing four lanes of traffic unaided.

The accident happened early on Monday at exactly the spot people living in the area had raised concerns about.

Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt but the extensive wreckage meant the road remained closed for several hours.

In an open letter to Maidstone Joint Transportation Board members, Andrew Hammersley, who lives in nearby Marion Crescent, told them: “I warned you all at the meeting on August 2 and in my follow-up email (to which no one replied) that the Plains Avenue exit onto Loose Road is dangerous. This accident is on you!”

He described exiting Plains Avenue as a “frightening prospect” and argued that the councillors had a “duty of care” to reopen Cranborne Avenue immediately for safety reasons.

Mr Hammersley had said previously that forcing traffic to travel along Marion Crescent and Plains Avenue, which was a designated cycle route, was "crazy”.

Gordon King, also of Marion Crescent, said: “We warned that the closure of Cranborne Avenue had reduced safety. Now our fears have come true.

“KCC said that closing Cranborne Avenue could save 17 seconds on the average journey time through the Wheatsheaf junction. Whether that has been achieved, I don’t know, but is 17 seconds worth reducing road safety?”

Claudine Russell, chairman of the Joint Transportation Board, said: “The issue that we have is that the board is not a decision-making entity, KCC are the highways authority.

"We can make recommendations, but ultimately KCC are the decision makers.”

She suggested that residents write to KCC’s director of transport, Simon Jones, and to the KCC cabinet member for highways, Cllr Neil Baker.

Mr Hammersley was unhappy with her response. He said: “It seems the councillors – for the most part – are sitting on their hands. Not our Shepway ward members who are supportive.

“We need our councillors to stick their necks out, make waves, cause a stir, get stuck in and get something done.

“They are our elected representatives. If I have to contact ‘the decision makers' myself, what is the purpose of electing councillors?”

The “trial period” for the Cranborne Avenue closure ends in September, but it is believed KCC intends to keep the road shut. The joint transportation board is not due to meet again until October.

Cllr Russell said: “Given that we had no KCC representation at our last meeting, it would be preferable if they turned up and came prepared with a full report and officers to answer questions to the October meeting.

"We are working at the highest level to ensure they attend then.”

A KCC spokesman said: “The consultation period for the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order for the trial closure of Cranborne Avenue closed in September 2022, but the order itself is still valid until the end of September 2023.

“The order will remain in place while officers assess the results of this work and respond to all objections accordingly.

“Traffic surveys were carried out prior to the closure and have continued while the closure is in place.

"We will present the results to the public when all necessary traffic surveys have been finalised and the analysis of the data is complete.

“KCC is continuing to monitor the impact to the A229, the A274 and immediate road network in terms of safety and delay, which includes the highway improvement works that have now been completed on the A229 Loose Road at its junction with Armstrong Road.”