A main road in a town gripped by a "pothole crisis" is closed for three nights for resurfacing work.

Part of the A28 will be shut overnight from today so repairs can be made to the problem route in Tenterden, which critics say is in an "appalling condition".

The road will be closed at the junctions of the A28 Ashford Road and Beacon Oak Road and Ashford Road.

It set to close overnight from 8pm to 6am each day for resurfacing works to be carried out by Walker Construction Ltd.

These latest works follow a huge resurfacing project in East Cross in Tenterden where residents staged a pothole protest in January.

Prior to this, David Ward - secretary of Tenterden Labour branch and a road safety campaigner - set up a petition in a bid to get Kent County Council (KCC) to fix the potholes in the town after declaring it to be in a "pothole crisis".

Mr Ward says he is glad to see work is being done to fix the roads, but feels some routes are still "treacherous for cyclists".

"I’m sure the petition - now signed by over 600 people - has helped," he said.

"I recently held a meeting with our Kent county councillor Mike Hill and he confirmed that the East Cross repair work had been brought forward by a year in response to public concern.

"I’m concerned that there are still parts of the town needing urgent action. An example is Beacon Oak Road which has multiple potholes down the centre of the road and also close to the pavement which are especially treacherous for cyclists."

He added he is pleased the local campaign has forced some positive action, but feels a long-term solution is needed to keep the roads safe and properly maintained.

"Neglecting potholes for years only leads to greater repair costs and damage to road users," he said.

"There needs to be a properly funded multi-year plan to overcome the backlog of repairs. This was recommended in 2019 by the transport select committee.

"I hope KCC will argue for this kind of investment from central government. That would be far better than the state of denial shown recently by Cllr David Brazier, KCC’s roads chief, who has repeatedly minimised the extent of the pothole crisis occurring in Tenterden and across the county."

Nick Carter who has lived in Beacon Oak Road for more than 20 years says he has never seen the road in such an "appalling condition".

"There are multiple potholes all along the road from the junction with Woodchurch Road to the A28 roundabout.

"Apart from the additional noise and vibration caused by heavy traffic going over the potholes and potential damage to vehicle tyres and wheels, this is causing unsafe driving conditions with traffic swerving trying to avoid the potholes.

"I have reported this on the KCC website twice in the past month and to date nothing has happened, not even the white markings to identify the potholes.

"Temporary repairs would be welcome but this has been done in the same places over many recent years and the potholes reappear after only a few weeks. The road now needs properly resurfacing from end to end.

"The only consolation is that traffic is having to slow down to avoid the potholes - the 30mph speed limit is rarely complied with, so as well as resurfacing, traffic calming measures and/or additional warning signage is desperately needed to reduce the possibility of a serious accident on this road."

A diversion route is in place while works take place.

The alternative route for is via A28 Ashford Road, East Cross, High Street, West Cross, Rolvenden Road, Rolvenden Hill, Tenterden Road, High Street, Hastings Road, A268 Rye Road, Queen Street, Megrims Hill, Rye Road, A229 Cranbrook Road, Gills Green, Hawkhurst Road, Hartley Road, Angley Road, Wilsley Green, A262 Sissinghurst Road, the Street, Biddenden Road, Sissinghurst Road, High Street (Biddenden), Tenterden Road, Biddenden Road, A28 Ashford Road and Silver Hill back to Ashford Road.

Beacon Oak Road traffic alternative is via East Hill and Oaks Road.