A business owner says she's hundreds of pounds down in profit after "daft" temporary traffic lights were placed on the A2.

Traffic is having to queue back into the middle of Sittingbourne after the signals were placed outside the former Fox and Goose pub in Bapchild.

Alison Foreman, who has run the popular fruit stall across the road from the empty boozer for the past two years, has questioned the decision.

CityFibre is upgrading broadband facilities in the village but its actual works aren't on the A2, they're in the nearby School Lane.

Alison says she can't understand why this hasn't been closed off to allow traffic on the main road to flow properly.

Villagers would still be able to get onto the A2 by heading down Hempstead Lane which is just a minute drive away.

There isn't even an argument that people need access to the village school as it is now closed for the summer holidays.

Speaking Friday morning, Alison said: "It's been really quiet so far today. We were £300 down yesterday, so God knows what we'll be down by the end of the day."

She says the bulk of business comes from people in Sittingbourne but the prospect of being stuck in traffic for a long time is putting customers off.

And she added that the lights opposite the stall, which is open daily from 7am to 5pm, are the first of three sets on the way to Faversham.

"People have been getting here to buy their fruit and saying how stressful the journey has been," she added. "To me the lights seem totally pointless."

She estimated the less than one-mile journey time along the A2 from East Street to her business was taking people up to 15 minutes.

Adrian Smith, CityFibre’s partnership manager for Sittingbourne, said: “We are working closely with Kent County Council as we roll out our £9.5m full fibre network in Sittingbourne.

“Our traffic management plans are agreed with the council and designed to ensure all works are delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible, while also ensuring the safety of citizens and motorists.

“We’d like to thank local residents and businesses for their patience and assure them that we are doing everything possible to manage disruption.”

CityFibre did not comment on why the A2 has been affected rather than just School Lane.

The Bapchild lights come at the same time there are other roadworks on the A2 heading out of Sittingbourne in the other direction towards the A249.

Added to this are the ongoing Stockbury roundabout traffic issues and news Keycol Hill towards Newington will be closed for five days next month.