RESIDENTS of a quiet village have told of their fury as they have to take a huge diversion to get to the shops.
Locals in Eastchurch on Sheppey, Kent, say it now takes them 90 minutes to drive half a mile after the council made a tiny lane the only route between the village and several caravan parks.
SWNSA lorry travelling down Plough Road – the only road out the village[/caption]
The chaos is being caused by gasworks – with Kent County Council making an order to temporarily prohibit through-traffic on part of various roads.
Dennis Moyce, 71, from Warden Road, says he is trapped in his home after SGN began digging up part of his road.
He told KentOnline: “Because of the part of Warden Road that is closed, people living in or visiting Shurland Dale Holiday Park have Plough Road as the only option to get in and out of the village.
“Lorries trying to get to the caravan parks and businesses down Plough Road are getting stuck down this tiny country lane and blocking the only route to the village.
“There is not a chance for residents to get out when this happens. It is ridiculous and absolute chaos.”
The closures are set to remain until November 26 – but Dennis doesn’t think the country lanes will be able to cope for that long.
He said: “All types of traffic are getting stuck. There was a caravan blocking the road at one point and, on another occasion, a lorry had to move onto a field to let traffic past.
“My friend was stuck in the queue for a little less than an hour and a half just to travel 0.5 miles down the road.
“It’s absolutely crazy to give us access to our homes though one country lane.
“Next week the kids are back to school and the gas works are right next to the school so it’s going to be an absolute nightmare, it’s dangerous.”
Dennis fears the congestion could even lead to someone losing their life.
He explained: “If someone was to have a heart attack in one of the caravan parks they’d die as an ambulance wouldn’t be able to get here.
“A fire truck or an ambulance just would not be able to get through and that means someone could die.”
The closures are required for the safety of the public and workforce while gas main replacement works are undertaken by SGN.
Bradley Barlow, spokesman for the gas distribution company, said: “We’re upgrading our gas network in the Warden Road area of Eastchurch, replacing our old metal gas mains and services with new plastic pipe.
“This essential work will ensure the local community continues to receive a safe and reliable gas supply.
“In consultation with KCC our contractor, WCB Utilities, who will be completing this project on our behalf, started work in Warden Road earlier this week. Our project is expected to last for approximately eight weeks.
“Due to the position of the pipes in the road and for the safety of everyone around our worksite, we need to temporarily close some of the roads around our work area.
“While the roads are closed, signed diversions will be in place and access will be kept for residents and businesses, which have been agreed with KCC.
“We understand people can get frustrated by roadworks and so we only use traffic management measures we feel are efficient enough to complete these works safely for ourselves and the public.”