A new one-way system is being completely ignored and has created chaos, residents have said.

Locals have expressed their frustration at changes made to Hillhouse Road in the Stone area of Dartford.

The traffic order was been put in place along the street at the end of May between the northern junction with Kirby Road to the junction with Bevis Close.

Kent County Council says it was made to improve safety, reduce congestion and avoid vehicle conflicts.

But some Stone residents claim the one way system has had the opposite effect and have contacted local councillors with their concerns.

"Everyone is just ignoring it," said local resident Kirby Downey, 31.

"This has been an ongoing fiasco. People still drive up the wrong way, including residents.

"I’ve told many people at the bottom that they can’t go up, it’s one way but they just ignore it and still drive up."

The new road signage formed part of an initial consultation launched in November which was reopened in late May after changes were introduced earlier that month.

It concluded two weeks ago and has since been made permanent.

But its introduction has added to frustrations locally with some residents reporting parked cars constantly being clipped by motorists failing to heed the warning.

Mr Downey says he has also begun to notice another alarming problem brought on by the change.

"Drivers now race down it thinking it’s a one way, no one is coming up the other way," the 3D printing technician said.

"Many near misses have occurred. Police have once or twice stationed themselves at the bottom of Hillhouse road to deter drivers but no fines were given."

Earlier this month footage appeared online of a white van speeding up adjacent street, St John’s road heading towards The Brent Primary school.

It clipped a black van, lost control and crashed into two parked cars.

"That road is where a lot of the parents park when they walk with there kids to the school," said Mr Downey.

"If that happened during the morning run it could have a whole lot worse."

The community have become increasingly concerned following the death of a 10-year-old girl killed in a crash on nearby Watling Street.

Concerns have also been raised over the safety of a relocated bus stop at the other end of the one way system, on London Road.

Mr Downey believes a lot of problems on Hillhouse Road and St John's Road are also caused by a failure to update Google Maps and SatNavs with the changes.

But the problem is not confined to delivery drivers and outside motorists and he says he has borne witness to various confrontations.

"There was a lot of people shouting 'it is one way' and others shouting back 'no it is not'," he said.

"I think everyone is getting frustrated with it."

Mr Downey has called for better signage and for people to report every incident to relevant authorities.

"I think a lot of people are afraid to report it," he said, adding that some may have concerns over insurance.

"But I still report it to the police so they can actually see how many problems there are."

A Kent County Council spokesman said: “Hillhouse Road was made one-way in early May as a result of concerns raised by residents on the volume and type of vehicles using the road.

“The changes were advised through a public consultation and statutory notices were placed on lampposts on the street and advertised in the Dartford Messenger newspaper."

The authority believes signage is adequate and pointed to problems caused by on-street parking.

“We have been unable to put down additional road markings due to parked cars, but these will follow shortly," the spokesman added.

“We are monitoring the scheme and have not received any reports of incidents on this road.

“Residents with safety concerns about careless or dangerous driving should report them to Kent Police.”

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