A £500,000 project to resurface a pothole-strewn Sheppey road, which was originally planned for the summer, has been pushed back until September.

Kent Highways has said that the long-awaited scheme to repair The Broadway in Minster is to be delivered in two separate phases.

The first will be between Marine Parade and Wards Hill Road and will involve removing the top layer of the surface and replacing it.

This had been planned for August, however, it has been pushed back to minimise disruption as Wards Hill Road is to be closed at the same time so a pedestrian crossing can be installed between the junction of Lynmouth Drive and Love Lane.

This work had been due to take place earlier in the year, but in February it was rescheduled for the summer after Minster Parish Council raised concerns about the impact the planned three-week closure would have on traffic.

The first phase of The Broadway will be undertaken over four nights under a road closure starting on September 22.

Motorists are being told the second stage between Wards Hill Road and Saxon Avenue could require the road to be closed for several weeks as it is much more complex.

It will require several layers of the road to be replaced and the exact timescale is still being decided.

It is anticipated to start either between late September and late October or early November.

The timing of the work has been criticised by taxi driver Neil McLennan, who launched the campaign ‘Repair Our Awful Roads’ earlier this year , with the aim of improving the Island’s infrastructure.

He said: “It’s so stupid doing it at that time of the year because of the weather. That is so short-sighted. Look at what the British weather is like. Those months are known for being wet months.”

Behdad Haratbar, head of Programmed Works at Kent Highways, said: “Reconditioning The Broadway has been in our programme, however its condition deteriorated as a result of the wettest winter on record. In response to this we have brought the programme forward and will carry out major reconstruction of the road this autumn at a cost of over £500,000.

“This is part of a number of repair and resurfacing schemes that we will undertake on the Isle of Sheppey this year.”