Furious residents say they feel forgotten as their town's "terrible" roads have not been included in a multimillion-pound "pothole blitz".

KentOnline revealed earlier this week how Kent County Council (KCC) is spending £8.5m on repairing and resurfacing roads over the next two years.

But those living in Tenterden have been left scratching their heads as the town has been left off the initial list of roads set for works.

Eight routes elsewhere in the Ashford borough are currently included in the “pothole blitz” programme which started in March and will continue until the autumn.

KCC bosses say their list will be "regularly updated" as more roads are earmarked - but Tenterden residents are calling for more urgent action.

Jamie Greenlees, who has worked at Potters Home Digital in the high street for 17 years, says the roads in the area are the worst they have been in a while.

“It’s pretty shocking that no Tenterden roads are included,” he said.

“They are dangerous – Cranbrook Road is dire and has always been bad.

“Beacon Oak Road is a bad one too and lots of heavy-duty traffic like lorries use it so it’s well used. If they don’t fix it then it will only get worse.”

Jackie Grant, who has lived in Tenterden for 17 years, says the condition of Beacon Oak Road is the worst she has ever seen.

“It’s so dangerous and it’s one of the main roads from here to Appledore," she said.

“If they don’t get it fixed now, I’m not sure what kind of condition it will be in – it can only get worse.

“People are also beginning to swerve to avoid the holes, which are getting deeper. It's an accident waiting to happen.”

Tenterden Town Council member David Ward says he has been assured work is planned for Beacon Oak Road - but is still concerned no roads in the town are currently listed.

“Cllr Neil Baker, KCC’s roads chief, spoke to Tenterden Town Council in March and promised to look into accelerating repairs to Beacon Oak Road and also Oaks Road,” he said.

“I have recently received the letter which indicates that some long overdue work on Beacon Oak Road is planned early next month. This is described as ‘localised patching’.

“I’m unclear what help that will be on Beacon Oak Road where there are over 50 holes in just 250 metres between Ashford and Woodchurch Road.

“This stretch needs a complete rebuild rather than just ‘patch and dash’ which too often is a temporary fix that barely lasts for a few months.

“I am sure that our residents will be furious if Tenterden is being left out of more substantial repairs.

“I will be monitoring this very closely and raising the subject again at our next town council meeting.”

In a statement, a KCC spokeswoman said its teams are “well underway in identifying, planning and delivering the works for the pothole blitz programme”.

“The programme will continue until autumn 2024 to ensure the works are completed in the best weather conditions,” she said.

“Throughout, repairs will be co-ordinated in a way that minimises disruption and impact to road users as much as possible.

“This means the roads featured on our pothole blitz webpage will be regularly updated to show where works have been completed and where future repairs will take place.

“We advise regularly checking the webpage for updates over the coming months.

“It is also important to note that the pothole blitz programme is not the only source of road maintenance work in the county.

“Members of the public can report defects they think may cause a safety risk via our online fault reporting tool at www.kent.gov.uk/highways.

“If you think the issue is urgent and could cause a serious incident, you can phone our contact centre on 03000 418181.”

The cash for KCC’s “pothole blitz” comes from money saved by the scrapping of the northern leg of the HS2 high-speed rail line.

The government says the funding, which totals £8.3 billion, is a commitment to highway maintenance over the next 11 years.

From the pot, KCC will receive £135 million until 2034.

A total of £4.296 million will be spent this year, and another £4.296 million has been set aside for next year.

The financial boost is on top of about £50 million already pledged in KCC’s own road and footway planned maintenance budget.