“Relentless” roadworks are making life a misery for motorists in and around a Kent coastal town.

A contraflow system on the New Thanet Way at Whitstable to allow for a major reconstruction of the coastbound side is causing long queues on the dual-carriageway.

But the issue has been exacerbated by urgent repairs on nearby roads used by drivers to avoid the chaos on the A299.

Pean Hill - between the town and Whitstable - was closed for almost three weeks for emergency gasworks.

And Wraik Hill - a country lane bypassing the New Thanet Way - was shut to fix “dangerous” potholes on Friday into Saturday.

Even after it had reopened, traffic was said to be stop-start each way, with vehicles trying to pass each other on the narrow road.

One motorist said: “It was an absolute nightmare.

“You’d drive 10 metres and then have to pull in to let another car past, and there was so little room that so many vehicles were forced into the bushes.

“One woman couldn’t get past another car so some bloke got out and tried to talk her through, but she ended up turning her wheel into the side of the other car.

“I felt really sorry for her. At one point I thought she was just going to give up and we’d be stuck there.

“I definitely won’t be going that way again.”

The A299 works, which are due to last until July 12, are currently causing huge rush-hour jams.

Journeys between Herne Bay and the Dargate Services - a stretch usually covered in little more than 10 minutes - are reported to be taking upwards of 45 minutes during the morning commute.

Seasalter councillor Naomi Smith said: “It feels relentless at the moment.

“People living in Dargate and Yorkletts are not getting anywhere fast.

“Residents are fed-up. It is a very rural area and it has narrow lanes.

“If you meet two delivery vans, you have to reverse back and pull into the hedges.”

Cllr Smith says any more roadworks should be avoided where possible until after the New Thanet Way reconstruction is complete.

“It feels like one thing after another,” she said.

“When people are diverted onto these backroads, it puts an awful lot of pressure on roads that are not built for it, so you end up needing more repairs.”

A 40mph limit will be in place throughout the £4.4 million project on the A299, with average speed checks taking place.

The reconstruction work started last Monday and is expected to last until July 12.

KCC says the contraflow is not designed to be diverted around, as it forces more vehicles onto surrounding roads that cannot cope with the level of traffic.