Villagers were “waiting for an accident to happen” and accused drivers of ignoring a temporary one-way system during a road closure

The drama began when the A249 Sheppey-bound shut between Grovehurst Road and Kingsferry Roundabout, near Iwade and Kemsley, overnight.

National Highways closed the carriageway on Wednesday (April 2) at 10pm to start the resurfacing work. It reopened at 5am but closed again yesterday evening (April 3).

Motorists going to Sheppey have to go through Iwade to access the Kingsferry bridge, as the Sheppey crossing is closed in that direction during the works.

To ease congestion in the village, a one-way system was put in place and the ban on seven and a half tonne vehicles driving through has also been lifted.

The temporary measure means the main route through the village, via The Street and Ferry Road, is only open for drivers heading towards the Island during the works.

But one villager told KentOnline how he was “just waiting for an accident to happen” as “juggernaut” lorries were met by “boy racers” trying to avoid the closure.

The Street resident, who asked not to be named, said: “I didn’t get a decent night's sleep as there was a lot of bad language being shouted out and beeping.

“The lorries were making banging noises as they went on the pavement as well as they tried to make way for the cars.”

Meanwhile, Suzanne Crow, who has lived in The Street for more than 10 years, said she saw 14 cars going the wrong way in 15 minutes last night.

She added: “Either they are ignoring it or are ignorant. How do these people actually pass their driving test?”

“It's a great idea having it one way. But there’s the usual idiots who think they are more entitled to ignore the signs.”