A 55-minute trip to the airport was turned into a traffic-laden nightmare for one woman.

Charlotte Kendrick left her Kennington home at 10am on Saturday, ready for a 2pm flight from Gatwick to see family in Jersey.

But her journey was brought to a standstill just past Maidstone, after two lanes of the M20 were shut for carriageway repairs.

The 24-year-old said: "There was no warning on my SatNav, the whole motorway just came to a stop.

"They'd coned off two lanes straight down to one live lane. I messaged my family to tell them I was going to miss my flight.

"Once I started moving I was going five to 10mph for 50 minutes. By the time I got the airport it was 1.40pm."

Lanes two and three were shut after the condition of the London-bound carriageway was deemed unsafe between Junction 4 for Leybourne and Junction for Aylesford.

Miss Kendrick added: "There was no warning until I was at the traffic, then a sign said emergency repairs.

"It was a stupid time to do it on the first Saturday of half term."

Miss Kendrick had to shell out £143.30 on same-day flights to Jersey, but her bad luck hadn't quite run out.

She added: "I had to move my car from the north terminal to south, then my flight was delayed.

"I didn't arrive in Jersey until about 6pm and missed the first part of our family dinner, we come from all over to meet up on half term."

Other motorists criticised Highways England, online saying they had raised complaints over the state of the road weeks ago.

The roads authority said it took motorists' safety as its top priority.

At its peak, drivers arriving at the Port of Dover were advised to travel via the A2 and M2 to avoid the disruption.

A Highways England spokesman said: "We continually monitor our vital national assets, like the M20, and work hard to keep journeys on it safe and reliable.

"We address any safety critical defects as a matter of urgency to make sure our motorways remain fit for purpose."