A man says work which has been ongoing in his village for more than a year needs to be fixed as it is “dangerous.”

Attempts to fix a water leak in Ferry Road, in Iwade, Sittingbourne, have been going on since Southern Water first identified the problem last year.

As well as having a huge hole in the road, the problem has also led to temporary traffic lights being installed on the route which runs directly through the village.

The affected water main also supplies water to Sheppey – meaning engineers have to be extra careful in finding a solution.

Yet one resident, Tory councillor Roger Clark, 79, says the issue is now becoming increasingly alarming.

He insists both the hole and the congestion are causing mayhem for residents, as well as for parents taking their children to school, due to part of Ferry Road’s path being blocked.

The councillor for Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow said: "It's an absolute nuisance.

"The traffic lights have been there for more than a year, but it seems like no work has been done.

"There's a huge hole in the road and it's making it so difficult to drive in and out of the area.

"The development [Orchard Meadows] being built opposite my road in Peach Blossom Drive also means there is a three-way traffic light system.

"So it's a real pain and means everyone in Iwade is being affected.

"It shouldn't matter what needs to be done and what it costs - it just can't be left as it is because it’s dangerous, blocking driveways and part of the path, and so just not on.

"The digger is there with all the fencing around it and we're told things could be happening, but nobody knows when.

“It takes up part of the path as well, which isn’t particularly safe for parents taking their children to Iwade School.

"So it's just as disruptive what has been going on for a while now as it would be digging the road up – at least then it is done quicker.

"Work has been on and off for so long, and each time we go out it delays us easily for 15 minutes sometimes.”

Iwade Parish Council says it has met with representatives from Southern Water to find a solution.

It was found the water company has tried three different methods to detect the leak, all of which were unsuccessful.

It also carried out chlorine tests in June and found further negative results.

It was therefore suspected the issue was groundwater, however, after discovering water was still running out of the hole in dry weather, it was then suspected a leak was to blame.

The firm admits its new plan is to use equipment to listen and monitor the level of flow in what is an 18 inch water main.

It means two fire hydrants were being installed by the end of this week to do this.

However, if that is not effective, an alternative solution could mean digging up a significant section of the road – something which could be even more disruptive to the village.

A spokesman for the council said: “They [Southern Water] will carry out the investigation – hopefully within a few days of the second hydrant being installed – and are hopeful this should pick up where the leak is.

“The other option to investigate the leak would be to dig up 10-20 metres of road, but this would be very disruptive to the village so they have opted for the less intrusive method.

“They explained the reason the investigation has not been carried out yet is because of the low levels in the reservoirs during June.

“With the water main being the main feed to the Isle of Sheppey, they could not risk carrying out the investigation as they need full reservoirs to carry out this work.”

The council says it has been told the investigation should be completed within a month.

Southern Water admits the problem is being caused by “a significant water main” which also supplies water to Sheppey.

The company says it needs to therefore be “extra careful” when carrying out work at the site.

A spokesman for Southern Water added: “This is a complex leak which we continue to work on, using specialist equipment.

“We are in close contact with the local authority and parish council as we carry out this work.

“We hope to complete as quickly as possible and are sorry for any concern caused to the local community."

Some residents in Iwade have also had to endure power outages this year.

Damage to an electricity mains supply has meant temporary generators have been installed to address the problem.