Maidstone emergency roadworks cause pub chaos

The Swan Inn lost out on Easter bank holiday revenue while motorists have faced diversions and disruption.  Oliver Leader de Saxe reports.

Transcript

00:00Empty chairs and emergency repairs. It was last Friday that gas distributor SGN closed the busy

00:07A229 running into Maidstone to carry out essential work. Before the Swan Inn already reeling from a

00:17challenging year for hospitality, diverted routes and reduced footfall over the bank holiday have

00:24been a big hit. It's been a nightmare you know you're expecting a good normal bank holiday weekend

00:31and basically we've had nothing we've had nobody it's been very quiet we're probably 40% plus down

00:39on ourselves things are tight as they are and it's done us no favours whatsoever. Uncertainty hangs in

00:47the air here while some residents might welcome the peace and quiet others are concerned about how

00:55long all of this is going to last with no set date for when the gasworks are going to end. That's what

01:03we're getting all day is everybody coming down here ignoring all the signs that are saying the road's

01:08closed and then get in there here and turn him around. I mean they're forever digging this road

01:13up doing some repair or other now they've you know it seems to be shut permanently. It's understood the

01:20works are expected to be finished by Monday but some fear the road could be closed as late as May the 6th.

01:30Oliver, Leader of the Sanks for KMTV in Maidstone.