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A village store keeper says her business is being ruined by a road closure that could keep many of her customers away for up to six months.
Jodie Hodge runs the Causeway Stores and Post Office at Chiddestone Causeway on the B2027. Although it is still possible to access her store from the Tonbridge direction, a vast number of her regular customers usually come from Bough Beech, a small village to the west, which has no shops of its own.
But in between them, The Sutton and East Surrey Water Company has closed the road while it lays new water mains.
Although the closed section is only a few hundred metres long, the official diversion is a massive 35 miles, which KCC highways warns could take over an hour to complete, although some residents have found a shorter route, using back-roads.
KCC said the road closure was scheduled to last until March 2, 2022.
Mrs Hodge said: "I only took over the business 18 months ago. It was in dire straights, but I've turned it round and in spite of Covid we were doing well - until this!"
Mrs Hodge estimated she was losing 400 customers a week since the closure started and her weekly turn-over had dropped by £3,000.
She said: "We can't go on like this. The business won't survive."
Although businesses can claim compensation if works by utility companies completely deny access to the properties, no compensation is paid if there there is a diversion in place that would enable access - no matter how long the alternative route.
Mrs Hodge said: "It's madness. Customers can't get through. People can't get their post. And the worst of it, despite the closure, they've done no work for several days."
Other local businesses such as The Little Brown Jug pub and The Greyhound have also lost custom.
Gareth Nixon has been the manager at the Little Brown Jug for the past two years. He said: "We've been seriously affected, our custom is probably down 50%."
Although access to the pub is still possible, it lies beyond the first "Road Closed" warning signs,
Mr Nixon said: "We've just put out our own sign there, saying we are still open. I think before that a lot of people didn't realise and were just turning round and driving off."
He said the closure had affected not just customers but staff too. He said: "Some have taken to coming by train, as fortunately the station is just opposite us."
The lengthy diversion is also having a very personal effect on some villagers.
Alex Cottee, from Tonbridge, said: "My mum lives in The Close in Bough Beech and has just had a knee operation. She and everyone else there is now effectively cut off from the world."
She said: "The buses have been cancelled because of the lengthy diversion.
"She can't get to shop and people can't get to the nearest rail station either - Penshurst Station which is also at Chiddingstone Causeway."
The marked diversion runs west on the B2027, left onto Station Road, the B2026, second exit at the roundabout to stay on the B2026, left onto A264, left onto Broad Lane, right onto Chafford Lane, left onto Spring Hill the B2188, left onto Penshurst Road the B2176, left onto Station Hill, right onto Moorden Lane, left onto High Street the B2027, left onto Station Road the B2026, at the roundabout, take the third exit onto Mont St Aignan Way the B2026, turn right onto Four Elms Rd the B2027 and finally back to Chiddingstone Causeway.
The reverse route applies for traffic from Tonbridge heading to Bough Beech.
Mrs Hodge has contacted her parish council, KCC, SES Water and her MP Tom Tugendhat to complain, and in turn Mr Tugendhat has taken the matter up with Ian Cain, the chief executive of the water company.
Meanwhile Mrs Cottee has started an online petition calling for action to be taken.
She said: "There's only two small holes in one side of the carriageway.
"Why on earth can't they keep one lane open under traffic lights? "
A spokesman for Sutton and East Surrey Water Company said: "We are sorry for the inconvenience caused by our essential mains replacement works.
"We fully understand the concerns and will do all we can to minimise the disruption caused and support the local community and businesses impacted."
"The project involves laying approximately 1.5km of new main along Tonbridge Road and part of Camp Hill.
"The current water mains, which date back to 1974, have now reached the end of their operational life and need to be replaced to minimise the risk of leakage and bursts.
"As part of our legal duty, we must leave a minimum width for traffic to pass our works safely. In the case of Tonbridge Road it is not possible to keep this minimum width so we have had to close the road to ensure the safety of our work teams and road users.
"As the works progress, we will review our working area and will look to re-open the road as soon as it is safe to do so.
"Tonbridge Road will be closed until October, after which we will move into Camp Hill. At this point we will re-open Tonbridge Road and then close Camp Hill. Overall the scheme is scheduled to last six months."
The spokesman said: "The diversion route has been chosen as a like-for-like road, as we are legally required to do so.
"As we are closing a B road, the traffic is being diverted along B roads. Unfortunately, in this particular area, there are limited options in terms of B roads and the current route is the most direct and smallest in terms of diversion."
Mrs Cottee's petition has already garnered more than 1,200 signatures.
You can sign the petition here.
Read more: All the latest news from Malling
