Residents and traders fear more disruption on the roads as SGN battles with 100-year-old pipes.

Since July last year, Church Road, Murston, has been shut three times for gas works with the latest closure ending last Monday.

The road was shut for the first time in July last year, then again in November, and most recently on Wednesday, February 14.

Such was the frustration with the works in November that motorists were caught on CCTV moving safety barriers and driving over the works.

The gas company says the pipes are almost 100 years old and so have to make "repairs in more than one location” in Church Road.

A spokesman assured residents they have “no plans to return to this location” but their “number one priority is to keep people safe and warm”.

But people living in the area doubt this is the case.

Speaking on behalf of Murston Heart Community Hub, artist Sioux Peto said she fears new gas works on the road which connects Chruch Road with Stadium Way will affect the businesses in the hub.

She said: “The works really worry us and I think everyone on the estate should be worried as well.

“For some of the businesses here like Nurture for All and The Hub the works are a major problem because nobody knows they can park here still.

“It’s great that the people of Murston actually care about where they live and bother to put updates out for us all on social media.

But the whole square is a mess so it would be really helpful if we had proper updates. It's getting really frustrating.

“We need new pipes put in and something more permanent as the road can’t keep being dug up.”

Murston locals have also told KentOnline of the delays they faced when the road is closed with all drivers having to queue on Sittingbourne’s Eurolink industrial estate rather than using the Church Road cut-through.

This was a particular problem on Thursday, February 22 when the Kingsferry Bridge on the Island shut, while trains were also cancelled between Sittingbourne and Rainham due to a landslide near Newington.

The slip lane closure at the Stockbury Roundabout is also causing disruption.

Clive Cornelius, who has lived in Sunny Bank for 24 years, says it took him two and a half hours to get to his job in Broadway, Sheerness.

The 65-year-old King’s Bingo caller said: “I had to start work at 5pm on Thursday but I left early as I knew traffic was bad so left around 2.30pm to avoid the school rush.

“I’m glad I did as I just got to work on time.

“Even though the works are done, SGN will come back as there is already a weak spot in the pipes. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

For Suzane King, the roadworks mean her part-time job is becoming full- time.

The SEND escort driver takes children from Walderslade to Abbey Court in Strood.

The 50-year-old said: “I want to be off the run as I should be working part-time hours but because of the traffic it has turned into full-time hours.

“On my way home on Thursday it took me two and a half hours to get from Key Street to Murston.

“The road works here seem to take so long to fix but I am sure they will come back. They’ve been here already three times so what’s stopping a fourth, fifth, or sixth time?”

Cllr James Hall, who represents Murston at Swale council, called the repeated works on Chruch Road “ridiculous”.

He said: “Every time the road is shut it causes gridlock on the Eurolink and yet they have worked on the pipes at least twice.

“It’s not good enough as the work affects everyone's lives, many of them need to get to work.

“The works take so long to get sorted because of SGN mismanagement and there’s hardly any workmen working on the repairs.”

A spokesman for SGN said: “We temporarily closed Church Road, Sittingbourne, from Wednesday 14 to Sunday 25 February while we repaired a leak on our gas network. This was for everyone’s safety due to the size of the excavations in the road.

“We have also had to temporarily close Stadium Way at its junction with Church Road while we repair an additional leak on this section of pipe and we’re working to complete our repair as quickly as possible. To allow access to residents affected by this closure, we have a permit to temporarily remove planters in the middle of Church Road, which will be restored once our repair has been completed.

“Temporary traffic lights have previously been used in Church Road on separate occasions in July and November 2023.

“We currently have no plans to return to this location. However, our number one priority is to keep people safe and warm. If anyone smells gas, they should always call the National Gas Emergency Number on 0800 111 999.

“There can be many reasons why engineers may not be visible on-site including local pressure testing, no resurfacing at weekends, collection of materials that cannot be stored on-site, or the work is already completed meaning further engineering works are not possible until the following day.

“We know how frustrating roadworks can be and we’re sorry to the local community for the disruption our work may be causing.”