Those going to work and school have described a “nightmare” journey as road closures continue to clash with planned water works.

People travelling via Wateringbury are set to face further delays as SGN confirmed its gas works will continue until June 12.

It comes after emergency repairs shut the A26 Tonbridge Road and Red Hill at the crossroads in Wateringbury, last week.

At the same time, planned waterworks along Maidstone Road, Nettlestead, saw the road shut.

While Maidstone Road was made passable over the weekend, the road was expected to close again at 7am, but many say it did not close until 10am.

The closure was expected to end today at 5pm yesterday (June 4), according to one.network.

One resident from Paddock Wood said: “It’s been a nightmare getting to and from work as everybody is trying to go through Yalding – absolute nightmare.

“It’s added 40 minutes to my day overall and would be completely avoidable if they actually did some work on Maidstone Road, rather than no one ever being there.”

Another parent travelling to East Peckham said a six-mile trip ended up being a 26 miles, and the usual seven minute journey took 35 minutes.

She said: “Nettlestead is stuck between the gas works closure and the water works closure.

“The only alternatives are via Gibbs Hill (a single track lane) or via Yalding which has a single lane bridge.

“In Nettlestead there hasn’t seemed much keenness to get the works completed.”

According to the roadworks site one.network, Tonbridge Road and Red Hill will be closed until next Wednesday, June 12 for repair and maintenance works.

Bow Road at the crossroads will also have two-way signals until June 12.

A diversion route has not been publicised online, but some drivers are choosing to go via Yalding and Teston.

A spokesperson for SGN said: “We’ve been investigating a gas escape in the Tonbridge Road area of Wateringbury since Wednesday 29 May.

“Our engineers are continuing to investigate the cause and are carrying out camera surveys to assist with this.

“For everyone’s safety around our work area, Tonbridge Road is temporarily closed at its junction with Red Hill and Bow Road.

“Red Hill is also temporarily closed at its junction of Tonbridge Road. The existing four-way traffic lights at the junction have been switched off and two temporary traffic lights have been placed on Bow Road and Tonbridge Road.

“We estimate that we’ll find the cause of the gas escape and complete any repairs by Wednesday 12 June.

“Please be assured that our engineers are closely monitoring the situation to keep the local community safe.”

Arriva posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Due to multiple road closures, our services will be unable to serve stops between Fountain Lane in Maidstone and Mereworth.

“They will divert via Hermitage Lane, A20 and A228 (Kings Hill). We do not have an end date at this time. Apologies.”

South East Water’s Regional Network Manager, Andy Beston said: “We’re sorry to residents and commuters along the B2015 Maidstone Road in Nettlestead which has been closed while we repaired three burst mains.

“The repairs to the pipes have now been completed, and we expect the road to be open by the end of the day (June 3).

“Thank you for your patience while we carried out these essential repairs.”