One advantage of the coronavirus lockdown is that Kent County Council has been able to resurface miles of roads without the usual disruption to traffic.

The Isle of Sheppey has fared particularly well. A three-mile stretch of Lower Road from Scocles Road at Minster to Rowetts Way at Eastchurch now has a smooth new surface totally free of potholes.

Blue Town has done well, too, with a stretch of Brielle Way along the former Sheerness steel mill looking brand new thanks to Highways England.

At the start of lockdown work on the Millennium Way in Sheerness town centre, which had huge potholes, was postponed but completed on April 21.

The A2500 Lower Road was completed in two stages from April 21 to May 13 where the existing surface was saved off at night and then covered with a new layer.

Since lockdown, KCC has patched 89,212 square metres of roads and filled 5,669 potholes. In the month before it patched 47,073 square metres and filled 6,453 potholes.

Kent Highways has stepped up its resurfacing work this month to ensure roads are safe for key workers travelling to and from work. It is responsible for 5,400 miles - one of the largest road networks in Britain.

KCC Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport Michael Payne said: “Roads in Kent carry significantly higher volumes of freight than many in the rest of England. Inevitably, some seven billion miles of journeys a year takes its toll.

“Right now, our roads are crucial to ensuring medicine and equipment can get to where it is needed most, together with key workers who our county relies on. I’m extremely proud of the work being done by our highways’ teams."

He added: “We take the wellbeing of the public and our workforce extremely seriously and have put in place all measures necessary to abide by the guidance currently in place."

But he warned: “We ask that while works are ongoing the public does not approach the workforce. If you have any enquiries these should be raised through the Kent County Council contact centre."

He added: “With fewer cars on the roads, certain areas of the county which would usually be very difficult to work on have been made considerably easier. We recently completed a pothole blitz work in Broadstairs and were able to carry out essential maintenance to some of the most difficult sites that might normally need to be carried out at night or cause disruption to businesses and residents.”

Director of Highways Transportation and Waste Simon Jones said: “I am extremely pleased and proud at the way we have continued to provide essential services down to the professionalism, commitment and dogged determination of all our highways staff and supply chain partners.

“All our teams have been working hard to ensure that while the roads are quieter, these essential works are undertaken safely, quickly and without disruption. We have tried to make best use of this challenging time so that when traffic returns, our roads are safe, well maintained and available to everyone.”

Over the next year KCC expects to deliver a £40 million programme of road maintenance.

Residents are still encouraged to report potholes at www.kent.gov.uk

Check planned work here.

Read more: Latest news about the Isle of Sheppey here.