Villagers are becoming increasingly enraged by a road closure that has dragged on for almost seven weeks - as contractors wait for parts to arrive from Germany.

The key road of Church Hill at Lower Eythorne has been closed on a three-way junction since early April due to gas pipe work.

This has made it impossible for residents to drive directly between villages such as Barfrestone and Elvington towards Eythorne and the main road to Dover and Sandwich.

It can only be done by car through long detours around narrow country lanes.

Gas company SGN, which is carrying out the works, says it is waiting on “specialist fittings being manufactured in Germany”.

But Kevin Evernden, 65, who lives directly on Church Hill, says the scheme is “very frustrating”.

“They dig a hole and you don’t see them again for days,” he said. “They don’t seem to be getting on with it.”

Julie Perrin, of Terrace Road, Elvington, shares the same view, saying residents “can't get in and out of our village easily”.

“There are back roads, which are only really suitable for one-way traffic,” she said.

“You're up the banks trying to get past people, you've got delivery people complaining that deliveries can't get in, neither can dustcarts.

“This means wear and tear on our cars, extra mileage, extra petrol and new tyres.

“We have had no notifications, you have to look that up yourself on SGN's website.

“They just keep giving us extended dates, keep telling us they wait for parts, it's basically a nightmare.”

Steve Skinner, of Adelaide Road, Lower Eythorne, said the works are causing “absolute chaos”.

“I'm using twice as much fuel a week to go to work,” he said.

“We’re told they're trying to renew some pipe work, which I believe is rusted out.

“And you can't get hold of anybody with any importance.

“What you'll end up doing is getting a routine text apologising for any inconvenience.

“I phoned them and I said have you been out and looked to see the inconvenience?”

Church Hill is shut to the junction with Adelaide Road, a direct route to Elvington and Barfrestone Road, which takes drivers straight to Barfrestone.

Derek Ward, 93, is the director of Envirograf in Barfrestone, which makes fireproofing products such as specialised doors and coatings plus barriers.

He says some of his staff now have to use an alternative route, which is already heavily used by oncoming traffic from drivers coming home to the villages.

“People at 5pm are coming home this way as well,” he said.

“So there's going to be an enormous crash here.

“We keep calling SGN up and saying how soon now?

“And they say: ‘oh, we're still waiting for a part, sorry, we don't know’.”

In a statement, SGN said the road is now expected to reopen on Monday (June 2).

“This essential work involves repairing our affected pipes to ensure nearby properties continue to receive a safe and reliable supply of gas,” the spokesman said.

“We’ve needed to close Church Hill, Adelaide Road and Barfrestone Road to access our pipes, investigate the issues and make the required repairs to our network.

“We recognise roadworks are frustrating for the community, but these are in place to keep everyone safe.

“The engineering work required here is complex and significant as a result of the condition of these pipes.

“The time taken to complete this work has been complicated by needing to reduce gas pressure, carrying out non-routine operational clearances, and waiting on specialist fittings being manufactured in Germany.”

The company said removal of the affected pipework was scheduled for May 21.

But, once the operation began, it came across gas coming from an unmapped direction. It had to abort this operation or it could have resulted in a loss of gas supply to properties in the area.

Investigations are continuing and it hopes to resume the operation this week.

The spokesman added: “All being well, we expect the roads to reopen on or before Monday (June 2).

“There are occasions when work is taking place off site, but we’d like to assure the community we’re doing everything we can to fix our network and reopen this area to motorists.”

In a statement, Kent County Council said: “These are emergency works carried out by SGN on a gas feed that supplies 11,000 residents in the area with gas.

“While we understand the public’s frustration with the disruption, we appreciate their patience while SGN carries out these vital works. We anticipate the site will be clear by June 2."