Locals frustrated at 'constant' town road closures

Residents of a Kent town say they have had enough of "constant" closures on its main road, and want to know when the disruption will end for good.

Station Road in Strood was closed from the train overpass on 8 February for emergency gas works, only reopening on 1 March, before closing again on 24 February due to a gas leak, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Vannessa Roach, 62, vice chair of the Frindsbury Extra parish council, said a lack of communication about "constant" roadworks has left residents in the dark and businesses struggling.

Gas supplier SGN said it understood people's frustration but the repairs were essential "to keep everyone safe and warm". Medway Council has been approached for comment.

Roach, who is also a pharmacist at Williams Chemist in Frindsbury Road in Strood, said: "The businesses here have been affected - we've had our medical delivery drivers get stuck in the traffic and delays when medication and things arrive.

"We weren't told what's happening, how long it will last, and what work's being done to prevent emergencies happening in the future.

"It just makes things so unpredictable - all we want is fixes to last longer than five minutes and for SGN and Medway Council to provide more information when these things happen to help people plan."

In a letter to SGN, the parish council said Station Road was "a key transport route through the Medway Towns" and the continued disruption was having "a significant impact" on residents, local businesses and public transport.

SGN spokesperson Dan Brown said: "We recognise roadworks can be frustrating for road users, residents and businesses... but this is essential work to keep everyone safe and warm.

"We'd like to reassure the community we're doing everything we can to complete this work and clear our site as quickly and safely as possible."

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