Drivers and those living near a major route which had to be shut for emergency gas repairs will have to suffer the “nightmare” for even longer than they first thought.

Over the last two weeks, people have had to contend with sewage leaks, power cuts and tight squeezes as HGVS made their way along narrow lanes after the closure of Loose Road in Maidstone.

Since Friday, April 18, the A229 has been shut in both directions from Maidstone Fire Station to the Swan Inn so utility firm SGN can dig up the road for the gas repairs.

A video shot on the day the closure was implemented showed cars and HGVs pulling up to the barriers and being forced to turn around.

It has also impacted businesses, schools, bin collections and public transport.

Both Boughton Lane and Cripple Street reopened on Friday, April 25, providing a bit of a relief for drivers but problems elsewhere continue.

A “few hundred properties” in the Loose Valley, Loose Road and Cripple Street have now had their recycling and food waste collected after a three-day delay.

As a result of the closure, dozens of lorries and motorists have been sent on an 8.83-mile diversion via Loose Road, Linton Road, Heath Road, Plough Wents Road and Sutton Road to rejoin Loose Road.

However, some have ignored multiple warning signs and ventured down Cripple Street, heading onto narrow lanes which aren’t suitable for big vehicles.

A picture posted on a local Facebook group showed one lorry attempting to navigate Straw Mill Hill and coming up against a backlog of cars.

Driver Joanna Flynn joined the queue and said it took her 45 minutes to pass.

She added: “He did look embarrassed when he managed to get through – the roads at the moment are a nightmare.”

One person commented: “I passed him as he turned into Cripple Street. Assumed he would turn around. Absolute idiot.”

Another added: “Someone who has no knowledge of the area and not properly informed by road signs. Blame KCC for this continuing catastrophe.”

Up by the closure, which stretches from The Farrows to the parade of shops by Sainsbury’s, resident Mark Price noticed sewage overflowing from a manhole cover on Wednesday (April 30) at around 8.30am.

“You couldn’t make this up," he said.

A Southern Water spokesman confirmed on Thursday (May 1) that its team was sent out to investigate the cause of the problem.

“A blockage was found in the sewer pipe,” he explained. “A tanker was deployed to remove the blockage which was cleared this morning (May 1).

“Crews are investigating the area for any potential illegal connections that could have been the cause.”

Greg Groombridge, regional leakage manager for South East Water, said: "We know it's frustrating seeing any water being lost and we're sorry to customers along Loose Road, Maidstone, for the leaks they have seen.

“Two fresh water leaks were repaired within the last week, and a third, near to Maidstone Fire Station, is scheduled to be fixed on May 6.

"Finding and fixing leaks and saving water is one of our top priorities, so we would like to thank customers who took the time to report this leak to us.

“We're sorry for the disruption the repair work will cause and will work as quickly as we can to complete this."

UK Power Networks also reported a "fault on the underground network" which affected 51 customers in Loose on Wednesday (April 30).

Although unconnected to the road closure, it happened at around 2.31am and power was restored in stages by 9.10am.

But while many may have thought the problems were almost over, they aren’t. On Thursday, April 24, traffic events mapping website one.network reported that Loose Road could stay shut until Tuesday, May 6.

However, this has now been updated and pushed back to Friday, May 9.

SGN spokesman Waseem Hanif couldn’t confirm an opening date for the road or a timeframe for the works.

He said: “We're continuing to carry out urgent repairs to our gas network in the Loose Road area.

“Our engineers completed several repairs to leaking joints and service pipes near Loose Road's junctions with Cripple Street and Boughton Lane last week.

“This allowed us to reopen Cripple Street and Boughton Lane on Friday, April 25.

“However, we need to investigate further gas leaks between The Farrows and the fire station, and Loose Road remains closed for everyone's safety.”

KentOnline asked the Kent Fire and Rescue Service if their call-outs had been impacted by the closure.

We were told their operations remain unaffected and teams will continue to be deployed “from the stations best placed to respond, with fire engines using the most efficient routes to reach incidents”.