Residents have described living in "hell" due to traffic "mayhem" caused by roadworks which have shut a main route through a town.

Lower Rainham Road has been closed between Otterham Quay Lane and Berengrave Lane, Rainham, for about a month for gas and electricity work.

The replacement of a section of the gas network at the junction with Station Road has proved to be the cause of the majority of issues for residents.

"It is a nightmare here because of the roadworks. It is causing so much mayhem," said Nena Nwokoro, who has lived there for more than 20 years.

"It is horrible. I do not know how we are going to keep coping with it. It is terrible getting out of the house and people cannot reach us. We have never had it this bad.

"We are praying it is over quickly. You cannot go on Lower Rainham Road, so it becomes gridlocked on the top road. It is horrendous."

The road is closed at the junction of Station Road and Lower Rainham Road outside The Angel pub as engineers from gas company SGN work to replace a section of the gas network.

Motorists are unable to turn left from Station Road but there are temporary traffic lights to ensure vehicles can travel around the closure to the right.

Work started on July 13 and is expected to last for approximately eight weeks.

Nena, 65, says the real issues are in the morning and evening rush hours. She added: "I feel like moving away now. It is not how it used to be."

Sam Butler, 32, added: "It is absolutely chaos. People are coming down and are having to turn around using our drives. The traffic around here is absolutely hell.

"The traffic lights are deceiving for people as they think they can go down the road but they cannot.

"I have to go up onto the A2 to get anywhere. I was stuck for an hour to get home from picking my son up or coming home from work."

Lower Rainham Road and the A2 run parallel to each other and are the two main routes through Rainham.

Patrick Higgins explained that when one is shut traffic has to use the other which causes congestion.

The 72-year-old and his wife Margaret, 69, have lived in Station Road for more than 30 years and have been campaigning for a bypass to solve the gridlock.

He said: "For 10 years this section of the road has been affected. For years we have been trying to get a secondary route to bypass this section of Rainham. The only other route is on the A2.

"It is a nightmare. You cannot get through Rainham at all, it is just impossible. This is not the first time it has been closed here and then Rainham just gets used as rat runs. There is no forward planning, it is all reactive."

Stuart Hart, landlord of The Angel, says passing trade has almost become non-existent since the works closed the road outside his pub.

And it is not just people living in Station Road who are becoming frustrated with the traffic but those on the Lower Rainham Road too.

Tina Rogers, 50, said drivers were not properly reading the signs which say the road is open only for resident access.

She said: "We have to keep putting cones in the road to stop people going down there. There are lorries and vans who go down and have not read the signs so get stuck.

"The road is not designed to take that many cars. It has been so much nicer since is has been closed."

But not everyone has seen the traffic "chaos" many have experienced.

Rosemary Coughlan, of Lower Rainham Road, said: "We do get a heck of a lot of lorries coming down before all this, it is quite a busy road. It is nice and quiet at the moment."

Milly Miles, 24, of Station Road added: "It does not really bother me as I do not go that way. Some people do not like people using their drives but it is a small road and there is nowhere else to turn."

The road is closed up until Otterham Quay Lane but landlord of The Three Sisters pub which sits at the roundabout junction said she has not seen any changes on that stretch of the road.

"It has not really affected our trade," said Gail Willoughby. "It is not good for Rainham but the work has got to be done. It is better it is done in the school holidays.

"The thing is it has clashed with quite a few roadworks which have caused gridlock. It is a combination of lots of different roadworks in Rainham, they have upset a few people."

Utility company SGN is replacing the current gas network with plastic pipes which have a lifespan of around 80 years to ensure residents and businesses have a reliable gas supply.

Alex Constantinides, Medway Council’s head of highways and traffic, said: "We do all we can to help keep traffic moving in Medway to minimise the disruption roadworks may cause. This includes, where possible and appropriate, asking utility companies to carry out works during the summer holidays.

"Unfortunately, if emergency works are needed, like SGN’s works in Lower Rainham Road, disruption is unavoidable, but we do ask companies to put measures in place to try and reduce congestion.

"We apologise for any inconvenience the works may cause and thank motorists for their patience."

SGN has been contacted for comment.