A water company has bowed to pressure to re-open a road leaving people and businesses cut off and drivers facing a 35-mile diversion.

The Sutton and East Surrey Water Company has announced it will lift the closure of the B2027 between Chiddingstone Causeway and Bough Beech, by the end of the week.

The news has delighted residents and businesses whose lives had been seriously disrupted by the 35-mile diversion route put in place while a new water main was laid, with the closure initially scheduled to last until March next year.

Alex Cottee from Tonbridge had started an online petition opposing the closure which had gathered more than 1,800 signatures in two days, after she found herself unable to reach her mum who lives in Bough Beech.

Miss Cottee said: "I'm so happy they've changed their minds.

"I need to visit Mum because she's just had a knee operation and can't get to the shops.

"But because of the closure, my journey the other day took two hours longer than usual."

Although the section of road that has been closed covers only a few hundred yards, the official diversion route, using similar B-class roads, is 35-miles long and takes over an hour to complete.

Locals have found a quicker route using narrow back roads, but say they are in danger of having their cars clipped by oncoming traffic squeezing through.

Business owners in Chiddingstone Causeway had complained of a dramatic fall in custom as many of their customers were no longer able to reach them.

Jodie Hodge who owns the Causeway Stores said her takings were down £3,000 a week and Gareth Nixon, the manager of the Little Brown Jug pub, said his custom was down by 50%.

Meanwhile residents of the small community of Bough Beech were effectively cut off with no access to shop, or the rail station, both at Chiddingstone Causeway, and with no bus service which has been cancelled due to the lengthy diversion.

Pressure had been put on the water company not only by residents, but also by Sevenoaks District Council and by Tom Tugendhat, the MP for Tonbridge and Malling.

The leader of Sevenoaks District Council, Cllr Peter Fleming, said: “As a council we do all we can to support businesses and we really feel for business owners in Chiddingstone Causeway who have been affected by these road closures.

"Working with local ward member Cllr James Osborne-Jackson and KCC division member Cllr Margot McArthur, we have contacted Ian Cain, the chief executive of the Sutton and East Surrey Water Company and urged him to look at ways to reduce the impact of the works.

"We have also been working with Kent Highways to see if in future they can influence utility companies’ ways of working with regards to road closures and diversions.”

Mr Tugendhat had even contacted the SES Water before the works began warning they would cause "a large amount of disruption for those who travel regularly between Edenbridge and Tonbridge" as well as having "a considerable impact on local business and residents."

Yesterday evening, the company bowed to pressure and agreed to at least a temporary re-opening of the road at the end of the week.

A spokesman said: "We have not under-estimated the concern from local people and businesses about the closure of the B2027 in Chiddingstone.

"Over the last few days we have been at the site and spent many hours investigating alternative ways to still allow this essential work to continue, but to do so in a way that reduces the impact on the community.

"We have made good progress so far, having laid more than 200 metres of new pipes, but unfortunately it is not possible at the moment, due to the nature of the work needed in the road, to open one lane with traffic lights, which we recognise would be much less disruptive."

But the spokesman said: "We are a local company with a long history in the Bough Beech area and we always strive to be responsive and do what is right in providing our essential public service."

He said: "Therefore, we have decided to now postpone these works and our teams are in the process of making the site safe with a view to re-opening the road completely by the end of this week, ahead of school terms starting in September."

But the company warned: "We maintain more than 3,400 km of water mains across our supply area and this does mean that pipes need replacing to ensure we can still maintain a reliable supply of high-quality water to our customers, both now and far into the future too.

"The water main at Tonbridge Road still needs replacing and we will plan how we will do this in the future, in consultation with the local community and business owners.

“We’re sorry about the disruption and confusion this work has caused but hope that today’s decision demonstrates that we have listened to people’s views and most importantly, have acted on them.”

The road closure had originally been scheduled to last until March 2, 2022.

The postponement was welcomed by Mr Tugendhat. He said: "SES Water has recognised the significant disruption these works will cause the local community through this closure until 2022 and will think their plans through again.

"I am delighted that SES Water is going to postpone the works.

"Given that the water main here does need replacing I will continue to speak to them about how to best manage this.”

Miss Cottee had been in the process of printing off paper petition forms when she heard the news.

She said: "A lot of people were going into the shop and pubs saying they wanted to sign the petition, but weren't online, so could they do it on paper."

"I was printing some forms off - now I don't have to."

She said she was still nervous that the mains replacement had only been "postponed."

She said: "We must just hope that when they do come back, they see sense and find some way of keeping at least half the road open under traffic light control."

Meanwhile she said she was grateful for all the support.

She said: "The leader of Sevenoaks council Cllr Fleming has been marvellous and has phoned me personally several times. I'd like to thank him and all the other councillors who got involved and also Mr Tugendhat for helping to make SES Water see sense."

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