Traders are worried the closure of a major road for three months will destroy their businesses.

Owners of a dog groomer’s, a butcher’s and a hair salon in Strood are among those who fear their firms could collapse after plans were announced to shut the A228, where they are based, from March to June.

In a change to the original plan, Medway Council is to shut the A228 Frindsbury Hill in both directions from the Sans Pareil roundabout from March 11 to June 21 so work can be carried out at the entrance to a new secondary school – the Maritime Academy.

It was initially due to be shut just for traffic heading Strood-bound.

Janet Kemp, who has owned K9 Dip ‘n’ Klip dog groomers for seven years, is concerned it will cause traffic chaos and put customers off.

“It will kill my business,” she said. “We see 15 dogs a day; countless dogs a month. If people stop coming because of the road closure we will have no money. Is Medway Council going to pay us compensation?”

The business offers pick-ups and drop-offs for its elderly or housebound customers and Janet fears this will be untenable when the road is closed.

“Where will we park? We can’t unload dogs on a busy road and if we can’t drive to the alleyway next to the shop how will we manage?

“The traffic is going to be horrendous. People won’t be able to get to us.”

Janet has three self-employed groomers working in her shop.

“They have homes to run and children to feed,” she said. “We all have bills to pay.”

Commenting on the council, she added: “They want to destroy us for a school. They’ve got to save businesses, not destroy them.”

Adam Stone, who manages Denis Hills Quality Butchers in Frindsbury Hill, said: “I wouldn’t sit in traffic for half an hour every week to come and get my meat.

“It’s disgusting. The council is not going to offer us compensation for the amount of business we are going to lose but they are still happy for us to pay our business taxes.”

He said businesses get a taste of the chaos that will ensue with the road closure every time Station Road is shut.

“They’ve closed it about six times in the last six months and it causes huge traffic issues every time. I don’t know how they can shut off a main road.”

Ann Gallon runs Goldilocks, a ladies’ hair salon in Frindsbury Hill.

She lives next to the new school and could walk to work, but first she has to take her children to Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and Strood Academy.

She is worried how she will do the school run and be back in time for work, not to mention the damage it will do to her business.

“People struggle to park and arrive late because of the traffic as it is,” she said. “This road is the main route for everywhere.

“People are going to cancel appointments if they can’t get here. It’s going to be carnage.”

Ann, who has lived on Frindsbury Hill for three years, is concerned about what will happen to the buses, bin lorries and delivery vehicles that use the road.

“There is no other way to go,” she said. “There is one road in and one road out.”

Troy Wareing, from F.H.B – Frindsbury Hill Barbershop – said: “It is going to have a massive effect on us.

“Many clients drive to us after work and by the time they get here through the traffic we might be closed. They may decide not to come and find somewhere else.”

Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst (Con), who had called on the council to come up with a better plan, called the decision to implement a total closure of Frindsbury Hill ”truly unbelievable”.

“It’s almost as if the Labour administration has decided to punish residents and road users who live on the north side of the River Medway for whatever reason,” she said.

”Medway Council as the highways authority has the power and control to alleviate the hell this will cause for residents and failing to do so is unacceptable.”

The diversion will take motorists along Wulfere Way, through Hasted Road, Gravesend Road, London Road, Gun Lane and then back to Frindsbury Road.

Cllr Simon Curry (Lab), the council’s portfolio holder for regeneration and climate change, said: “The location of the new Maritime Academy School was not supported by councillors from the Labour and Co-operative Group but despite this was chosen by the Department for Education and supported by Conservatives in Medway.

“In fact, Kelly has met with one of the many Education Secretaries the Conservatives have had in the last few years at the site, celebrating the scheme.

“The access into the school was designed to be off Frindsbury Hill and to safely create the new access and allow utilities to adjust and divert their apparatus, a closure is necessary to provide a safe working environment for the developer and their workforce.

“This is a 15-week programme which council officers have worked closely with the developer, reducing their original closure request down from 19 weeks for highway works.

“Further access will be made available along Canal Road which should assist with alleviating congestion further...”

“I appreciate there will still be concerns around the closure, but there is no alternative option available.

“Officers will continue to ease the situation by working closely with the developer to try and reopen the road at the earliest opportunity.

“Further access will be made available along Canal Road which should assist with alleviating congestion further.”

This week, heavy traffic built up around Medway City Estate during rush hour as huge queues stretched back from Strood town centre.

The jams were due to emergency gas main works shutting Station Road and part of Banks Road.

The new 1,150-place secondary school was approved by the council in September 2021.

However, delays on the project have meant pupils looking to attend the school have been learning at Twydall Primary School since September last year.

A statement on the Maritime Academy’s website said: “The construction of our new school is under way with a completion date of summer 2024.”

The plans for the school were drawn up between the council, the Department for Education (DfE), and the Thinking Schools Academy Trust (TSAT).