It's already been dug up 189 times in four years, but there's no end in sight for the "nightmare" on a three-and-a-half mile stretch of the A228.

Relentless roadworks between Sundridge Hill at Cuxton, and Peter's Bridge near Halling have led to poor air quality, regular tailbacks, and dangerous rat running on surrounding country lanes, prompting calls for Medway Council to take action.

With residents and drivers facing more misery from the current SGN works at Cuxton - which began on August 15 and are scheduled until Friday September 2 - Cuxton Parish Council has described the situation as "unacceptable".

The current works, which came just a matter of days after previous roadworks, will be followed immediately by yet more from South East Water, scheduled to begin at North Halling the day after on September 3 and run until September 11.

Cuxton and Halling Cllr Matt Fearn, who lives in Halling, said he had taken to cycling to work at Northfleet because it took the same time as driving.

"There's not an obvious solution, but things are not going to get easier," he said. "We do need to do something. The threat of the Lower Thames Crossing will only put more pressure on the A228.

"Air quality is already bad. It's over the accepted level for carbon dioxide, at Halling. When things are flowing it's ok-ish, but when it's not it's a nightmare."

"It's horrendous. There are big tailbacks which are putting a lot of time on people's journeys. It's frustrating for residents because people are cutting through Cuxton, Halling and Upper Halling, and driving quite recklessly. In Halling there have been wing mirrors taken off.

"Everyone is cutting through Cuxton up through Cobham as well. It's been gridlocked everywhere."

Cllr Fearn and others point the finger of blame at new developments along the road, such as St Andrews Park at Halling, which require upgraded utilities, adding: "they are allowed to dig up that road how they like."

Aside from the stress on the road itself, those living in Cuxton have found themselves unable to leave the village during peak times, while surrounding roads have also been affected.

Residents have described gridlocked country lanes, with problems exacerbated at the worst-case scenarios by incidents on the M20 and M2.

Cuxton Parish Council issued a statement this week, stating Medway Council had failed to respond to repeated requests to help improve traffic problems.

"The amount of work agreed on the A228 between Sundridge Hill, Cuxton and Halling is unacceptable," it stated. "Medway Council has a duty of care to residents and road users to mitigate any disruption from planned and emergency works.

"This stretch of road is already over capacity and any disruption results in a back log of traffic in both directions.

"We then also see more traffic using the roads in Cuxton for access to and from the M2, frequently resulting in gridlock in the village.

"Cuxton residents are on occasion trapped and unable to safely leave the village using the Bush Road junction.

"Cuxton Parish Council understands that emergency work on this section of road is inevitable but the road being restricted more often than it is fully open is not acceptable."

The parish council says it has highlighted the traffic issues with Medway Council on "multiple occasions", requesting a permanent solution to access at the junction with Bush Road.

And it added: "There is money specifically designated for improvements but a solution has yet to be found.

"Highways England and Medway Council seem reluctant to support permanent improvements to the junction with Bush Road and the A228 for fear of slowing traffic on this very busy stretch of road. However, they are more than happy for frequent roadworks to be scheduled and restrictions put in place."

Halling Parish Council chairman, George Wenham, echoed their sentiments, saying highways chiefs at Medway Council had ignored their pleas for help.

"It's a problem," he said. "I live in Halling High Street and cars are often coming through here trying to pass the queues.

"They get up on the paths and someone's going to get hurt one of these days. It's the usual rat-race to get through.

"Being the chairman of the council I get a lot of stick with people asking what am I doing about it. It's down to the highways authority - we can write and voice our opinion but it falls on deaf ears. People in the village are getting fed up. Something needs doing because it's getting dangerous."

Among those drivers frustrated by ongoing works is Joe, who has used the A228 between Snodland and Cuxton on a daily basis since moving into the area three years ago.

"I can honestly say I have never known a road to have so many different roadworks and temporary lights," he said "It seems every week there are new lights scattered along this route , and 9/10 times no-one's working, nor anything actually dug up."

Joe, who commutes to work on the Medway City Estate, said he had taken to driving miles further through different routes to avoid the A228 on the way home, forcing him to spend more on fuel.

And he added: "I believe since we have moved to the area there have been a different set of roadworks/temporary lights approximately every two weeks.

"Currently there are roadworks outside Spinxies Tyres/Cuxton Church, where a huge portion of the road has been cut off. It seems the current works being carried out are on the pathway and not the road.

"If these works are to be carried out there must be urgency to get them finished up, no-one seems to be working there after 4pm. They have been there for two weeks and aren't expected to finish until beginning of September.

"It's not fair to locals, and on such a busy road and main route more careful planning needs to be taken into consideration so it doesn't feel like we're constantly sitting in delays, traffic and roadworks."

"The council should be utterly ashamed of themselves, the amount of times that road is dug up..."

Louise Penney, from Strood, added: "The council should be utterly ashamed of themselves, the amount of times that road is dug up.

"I feel sorry for the people who live in Cuxton who are constantly inconvenienced by these roadworks - it must be a total nightmare every time they need to go out, or even getting to/from work.

"I also think it’s detrimental to the environment - not everyone has a stop/start vehicle and the fumes generated by idling vehicles must be horrendous. I know it’s not always possible to dovetail different utilities so that works are completed at the same time but is this even looked at?"

Medway Council said queue detection equipment was installed in April last year to help motorists exiting Bush Road at peak times, and that they would work with Cuxton Parish Council to identify any further ways the junction could be improved.

They also said they work with utility companies to ensure measures are in place to reduce disruption and keep traffic moving in Medway, such as asking companies to carry out works outside of peak travel times and during the summer holidays, and using traffic calming measures.

The council acknowledged works can lead to delays and thanked drivers for their patience.