Tempers were frayed as drivers in Maidstone faced lengthy delays on town centre streets today.

Many took to Facebook to voice concerns over gridlock in Hart Street near Lockmeadow, and called for action to be taken to resolve the ongoing problem.

Drivers were left stuck in queues, while those living on developments further down the road said they were practically trapped in their homes.

“It's queuing right back to the flats again,” said one resident on social media. “Clearly not McDonald's that is the issue as we can't get out.

“It's a joke..now I'm stuck in for the day again.”

Another added: “My husband’s just phoned as been to HiQ and nobody can get out from any of the businesses there or from all the flats, bombard the police to get traffic moving. Maidstone traffic system is a joke. Surely they can see the problem on their cameras.”

“Living at the bottom of Hart Street is absolute hell,” added another. “I cannot wait to get a chance to move! I’m disabled and cannot walk far at all so I rely on my car to get out! Everyone moaning that they’re stuck when they’ve come to shop, park in the town centre and walk across the bridge!”

One driver they had seen frustrations boiling over, adding: “I was stuck this morning and some people's tempers were getting out of hand. Let's hope that one of our councillors will get some proposals to come forward to provide proper access. I feel sorry for the businesses and the residents.”

The situation follows complaints earlier this month that traffic problems were getting worse in the area.

With hundreds of drivers frequently caught in the log-jams as traffic tries to leave, residents and business owners called for action from Kent County Council.

Among them was Ed Rust from Kingfisher Meadow said "The phasing of the traffic lights at the junction just do not let enough vehicles out. At best it's around 11 cars, but the timing is reduced for us during peak periods and sometimes only four or five cars can get out."

And traffic light phasing was again thought to be an issue today, with drivers again reporting that only five cars were being let out at a time onto the A26.