Fed-up residents say their town has plunged into a "pothole crisis" as roads continue to crack up – leaving drivers with expensive repair bills.

The problem has become so bad in Tenterden that one campaigner has launched a petition calling on Kent County Council to fill in more than 60 reported potholes in the area.

Particular concerns have been raised over a "continuous patch of potholes" in East Cross which appeared in recent days.

David Ward, secretary of Tenterden Labour branch and a road safety campaigner, has described the situation as "deadly serious".

"It is very concerning as there are about 20 potholes in East Cross – the whole road surface is breaking up," he said.

"There are also some on the pedestrian crossing in St Michaels which is really dangerous, and in Beacon Oak Road off the A28 there is another whole string.

"It is reaching ludicrous proportions. It is an astonishing degree of neglect and it's just a matter of time before someone is hurt.

"We have reached a tipping point... it's a pothole crisis and it's breathtaking how bad it is."

In May, KCC's cabinet member for transport, Cllr David Brazier (Con), said the demand for pothole repairs in the county had "virtually disappeared" despite concerns raised by councillors.

He said roads are in "much better condition" than they have ever been during his 25 years on the council.

But Tenterden's deputy mayor Sue Ferguson fears the sheer number of potholes currently in the town will lead to accidents.

"I appreciate there are huge demands on KCC Highways' budget but the time has come for some serious attention to the road at East Cross," she said.

"However I am sure this is not just a simple tarmac job, this is rebuilding of the road.

"The potholes are getting far too close to the pavement and pedestrians – I wouldn’t walk on the pavement here unless I was facing the traffic and could take evasive action if needed."

Outside Tenterden, Carly Funnell damaged her car on the A28 between Bethersden and Ashford after hitting a pothole which was filled with rainwater last week.

"It just looked like a puddle," she said.

"I had three children in the car and it made a really loud bang. It was very scary.

"It burst my tyre and I had to pull into someone's driveway because of the children."

The student says she doesn't know how much repairs could cost, but she knows more drivers have also hit this pothole.

Meanwhile, Declan Moriarty suffered £120 worth of damage to his car after hitting a pothole on the A20.

"I was near Harrietsham heading towards Ashford," he said.

"I went through the whole process of submitting a claim on KCC's website and they rejected it because it was deemed as non-critical.

"It was dangerous enough to bulge a tyre, and my car has pretty big tyres, so I don't get how it is non-critical.

"If you were on a motorbike or something you would be off. Clearly there is something that is not right there."

On New Year's Eve, Dazie Warne was left stranded for hours after hitting a water-filled pothole in Ellingham Way, Ashford.

"Both my front and rear tyre were damaged," she said.

"It has also thrown my tracking off so I have no idea how much it will cost.

"I pulled into the tyre garage two minutes away from where it happened and it was shut, but three other people that had pulled in while I was there waiting to get picked up. They had all just gone down that same pothole.

"I reported it when I got home four hours later but because it was New Year's Eve nowhere was open. It was massive and just a total inconvenience."

In a statement, a KCC spokesperson said an officer visited the East Cross site on Friday.

"A temporary repair will be carried out with a permanent repair being planned for in due course, however, this is weather dependent," they said.

“Due to the weather we have experienced of late; wet, sub-zero for a period, the freeze and the thaw cycle rapidly increases areas of deterioration into potholes.

“We will continue to monitor and take any necessary action.

"We are currently working through all reported ones and will raise jobs to have these repaired as soon as possible.

“We continue to encourage the public to report all issues via our website.”

Last year, government funding totalling £27 million was cut from KCC's highways budget from April 2022 to March 2025 – the equivalent of £9m a year – meaning less money is available to carry out pothole repairs.

But Cllr Brazier expressed confidence it would not affect the service provided by KCC, which fixed more than 26,000 potholes last year during its £7.5m 'Pothole Blitz' project.

To view David Ward's petition click here.

It has so far attracted more than 270 signatures.