Pub landlords say a three-week road closure will be “disastrous” for their business in the run-up to Christmas.

Jonathan and Alison Woodbridge run The Hawkenbury pub between Headcorn and Staplehurst, not far from the Hawkenbury Bridge which runs over the River Beult.

This week, Kent County Council gave notice that the bridge will close for damage repairs from November 5 to 27, in a move the pair believe is “irresponsible” and will negatively impact trade.

Although the council say the closure is needed due to the “complexity and scale” of the accident repairs, Jonathan questions what work is being done and why it will take so long.

He says traffic management at the bridge would be much better for the locals, and his business, rather than a full closure.

The 68-year-old said: “This decision will have a significant impact on our trading prospects without any compensation.

“Three weeks is a very long time and the locals all question quite what is being done?

“It’s a disaster for us and it’s a disaster for everybody. We will probably close the kitchen, we might even close the pub.”

He explained that this would be the fourth time the bridge has closed this year because of damage caused by accidents.

Instead of closing the bridge each time an accident occurs, he thinks something needs to be done to stop them happening in the first place, including a reduced speed limit along the road and a priority pass or traffic lights at the bridge.

His views are shared by others in the community, including construction worker Michael Lee from Maidstone, who believes three weeks is a “ridiculous” amount of time to shut the bridge.

He said: “I’ll be working in Staplehurst the next couple of months so it’s going to make my route a lot harder to get to work.

“It doesn’t need to take three weeks, and it’s a bad time of year to do it, with every other road closure at the moment causing havoc for all the people that live and work around this area.”

Tom Penfold, who has lived in Hawkenbury for 52 years and works in drainage and groundworks, is also critical of the three-week closure.

He said: “I’ve been in the building game and ground works most of my life, I know a maximum of one week should have that done. I don’t see why it would shut for three weeks, unless when they do it they work for a couple of hours and then go home.”

But, the 57-year-old shares the view that to mitigate future repair works and subsequent closures on the bridge, speed restrictions need to be in place as a preventative measure.

He said: “Every year there is three to four accidents on that bridge.

“People go really fast across the bridge, we need a right-of-way access so that oncoming traffic has to wait until the other vehicles go.”

In the summer, The Hawkenbury pub, faced a further blow to business when a truck smashed into the front of the pub, wiping out a row of picnic benches.

The incident prompted fresh calls from villagers who started a petition asking Kent County Council (KCC) to reduce the speed limit from 60mph to 30mph or something that’s “suitably safer”, and for physical traffic calming measures or signage to protect residents.

Now the publicans and local residents want the council to reconsider its decision on the three-week closure, with Michael adding: “Whoever made that decision to close the road for three weeks is being very irresponsible – it’s wrong.”

He says, unlike other closures for gas or electric work, there is no compensation available to him as a business for the disruption caused by Kent Highways.

In addition, the publicans say there has been a lack of consultation with the pub, besides a flyer being put through their post-box.

“I think it’s disgusting that no one has come to speak to us,” he added.

“Towards the end of November, we have pre-Christmas parties, it’s going to be a nightmare for people to get here.”

A Kent County Council spokesperson said the council understands the concerns raised by businesses and residents, but explained the work is essential to repair damage from a road traffic collision, including the bridge’s brick parapet, retaining wall, and fencing.

It continued: “To carry out the repairs, a scaffold must be installed with part of it positioned in the carriageway. Due to the narrow width of the bridge, a full road closure is necessary to protect both workers and the public.

“If the works are completed ahead of schedule, the road will be reopened early.

“We remain grateful for the community’s patience while we carry out these important safety repairs.”

KCC said the diversion route had been “carefully planned” and does not intersect with other closures.