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The UK's largest water company has been slammed after delayed repairs led to a major leak on a busy stretch of road.
Thames Water apologised after a "serious water leak" broke out near McDonald's on the A2226 London Road, Greenhithe last month.
Residents waiting at the pedestrian crossing were "getting splashed" while several potholes formed on the nearby carriageway.
It took two weeks until it was finally resolved and Kent County Council contractors had to fix the road defects at one point while water was gushing out onto the road.
KCC's highways boss Michael Payne (Con) said: "The serious lack of action from Thames Water and the disregard for KCC and local residents is unacceptable."
His comments came during a virtual full council meeting last Thursday where one of his county councillor colleagues said the major water firm, which serves 15 million people in the south east, should provide a more "reliable" service.
Cllr Peter Harman (Ind), of Swanscome and Greenhithe Residents' Association, described the current service provided by the company as "hot and cold".
He told full council: "On a number of occasions Thames Water have failed to carry out urgent repair work on Kent roads within a reasonable timescale."
Thames Water engineers launched an investigation into the problem on Friday, August 28 but the leak was not repaired until two weeks later despite being called out on five different occasions by councillors.
The company said the firm has a small workforce and has experienced a "high volume" of reported leaks in the area.
This means it is taking longer than usual for them to get to the site, the company's chiefs added.
A spokesman for the firm said: "We’re sorry that we were not able to repair the leak on London Road as quickly as both we and our customers would normally expect."
An emergency meeting to review the company's performance has been called for by KCC's highways boss to address the concerns of residents.
Cllr Payne said: "The blatant disregard for the disruption to the network and consequential damage to our highways is disappointing as we know Thames Water can perform well."
Thames Water says it wants to engage with the council. A spokesman added: "We take seriously the disruption leaks can cause and welcome the opportunity to speak to KCC about how we are investing in our system to help prevent leaks happening in future.”
