A mum is worried about her kids' health because road works installed next to their school are causing traffic chaos, making the air pollution levels "unbearable."

Claire, who lives in Dartford area, says walking her child to school "makes us feel sick," and she is worried the problem is having a detrimental impact on children's health.

Her child attends Sutton at Hone Primary School, but recently installed road works set up to install gas pipes on Hawley Road and Main Road have caused rush hour traffic to "become hell," according to Claire.

She told the News Shopper that rows of cars are being forced to sit in traffic behind new temporary traffics lights daily, "pumping out excessive amounts of pollution" during the school run.

And Claire says it has caused a noticeable difference to the air quality: "The air is absolutely disgusting, walking past it feels like having your mouth under an exhaust. It makes you feel sick, and I've had enough of walking my child through this each day."

The gas distribution company behind the road works, SGN, say the works were carefully consulted on and will help businesses and residents benefit from a reliable gas supply for the next 80 years.

But the concerned mother said that whilst she understood that road works had to take place, she criticised how they had been set up and the sizeable effect they are having on the nearby primary school, especially given the current climate issues.

"It's getting worse and worse each day, any of the children with breathing problems like asthma really struggle.

"It is carnage around the school at the moment, and I feel bad walking my kid to school, which we're meant to be encouraged to do."

She added: "Most of the time when I walk past, no one is actually doing any work there, so I don't understand why they're causing so much disruption in the main commuter/school rush."

Claire says she wants to raise the issue with the council, and has called on it to carry out an air quality check on the road to see if the air quality meets recommendations.

News Shopper:

Elsewhere in London, Sadiq Khan is leading an initiative to reduce emissions near schools, with 'no engine idling' schemes, moving school entrances away from busy roads and adding green bushy infrastructure.

Bradley Barlow, a spokesperson for SGN, said it was carrying out essential work to continue upgrading the gas network in the area, replacing old, metal gas mains with new plastic pipe to ensure a continued safe and reliable gas supply.

He said: "We have carefully consulted and planned our work in partnership with Kent County Council and our project began on Monday 15 July 2019. For our current phases of work, we’ve installed temporary traffic lights to ensure everyone’s safety around our work area.

"We understand people can get frustrated by roadworks. However, the new plastic pipe has a minimum lifespan of 80 years. This means that when the work is complete, Dartford businesses and residents will continue to enjoy the benefits of a safe and reliable gas supply for years to come."