Shop owners have been left angered by gas works that are causing “chaos” in a high street.

The repairs are being carried out by Scotia Gas Networks (SGN) following reports of a gas leak in Station Road, New Romney more than two months ago.

The works, which started on April 11, are near the traffic lights next to The Marsh Academy.

But business owners along the adjoining high street have hit out at the gas company as they believe the roadworks are damaging trade.

Tina Newman and Lou Douglas, of That Pet Shop, have claimed the gas network has not gone about things in the right way.

Ms Douglas said: “It is definitely quieter on the high street as the road is constantly blocked up.

“It is carnage down the avenue in the mornings; last week the road was snarled up all day.”

The sisters, who have lived on Romney Marsh their whole lives, want the work to be finished as soon as possible.

“They have not gone about it in the right way at all, we never see anyone there actually doing any work.

“They say it is emergency works but we haven’t seen anyone there since last Friday.

“We have had loads of customers complaining to us about it,” Ms Newman added.

SGN were first made aware of the gas leak on February 13.

Within hours, they attended the scene and placed barriers and roadwork signs around the manholes. Work then started weeks later.

Andrew Waghorne, owner of Romney Marsh Carpets, is also fed up with the “crazy queues” along the high street.

“It’s been so rubbish.

“I don’t mind a bit of disruption when work needs to be done. But, to have no one there for three days now is unacceptable.

“It has been chaos, it’s absolute rubbish,” he said.

The repairs were originally planned to finish yesterday on April 18. But, this has now been extended until April 24.

Mayor of New Romney, Cllr Paul Thomas, understands the leak needs be fixed, but wants the issue resolved quickly.

“It’s a gas leak at the end of the day, so it has to be fixed.

“The layout of the works is probably as good as you are going to get.

“However, nobody was working on the the leak over the weekend which was quite disappointing considering the disruption it is causing,” he said.

Cllr Thomas has ensured that if the repairs continue to be delayed then he will take action.

“The work has to be done but we can not let it drift any further than it needs to be.

“If it looks like it is going to drift then we will ask for additional people to work on the site,” he added.

SGN have recognised that this is a complex repair job, but ensure they are doing all they can to clear the site by April 24.

Dan Brown, spokesperson for SGN, said: “We’re continuing to carry out essential network repairs in Station Road.

“This is a complex repair job with multiple leaks on this section of our gas main.

“We’ve been granted an extension to complete our work and we’re hopeful we can clear our site by Monday, April 24.

“Temporary traffic lights are in operation to ensure everyone’s safety around our work area.

“We understand roadworks can be frustrating for road users experiencing delays to their journeys, but this repair work is essential to keeping nearby homes and businesses safe and warm.”