Traffic chaos in Seal

As some of you will know there is currently traffic chaos in Seal. Road works suddenly sprang up yesterday to mend a collapsed sewer at the junction of Church Road and Childsbridge Lane (without any warning as far as I can see). Things have been changing through the day. This morning it was possible to drive around the road works. Now, however, both the top end of Childsbridge Lane and Church Road are completely closed, so you can't drive through the village at all to get to the church.  In order to reach the church from the centre of Seal (Zambra Way/Bentley's Meadow etc.)  you have to go via Kemsing and Noah's Ark... If you don't realise that (it's not clearly signposted on the A25) and turn off the A25 down School Lane, you will find yourselves caught up in this and forced to go three miles round the local countryside (you can, instead, take the next left turning, having gone out of the village towards Maidstone, and come down Fullers Hill, though the road is very narrow in places.)  Everyone who has come to see me at the vicarage today has been twenty minutes late which gives you some idea of the length of the diversion.

Apparently the road works will last a week. I am fervently praying that it is all sorted before the village Christmas event next Friday... Last  year it was snow - this year it is sewers...

I thought I would let you know so that you are prepared for this. If in doubt, don't drive into Seal at all! I'll try to let you know if things change before Sunday. If you do have to drive into Seal, take care, as the one way systems are being widely disregarded. One church member contacted me to say that she had counted 42 cars going up School Lane in 20 minutes, which is a disaster waiting to happen, as cars often come down that (officially) one way road at quite a fast rate, and visibility is not good over the brow of the hill.

The good news, however, is that the Death Watch Beetle scaffolding is all gone, and the church  is restored to its usual beautiful state (apart from the smaller bits of stained glass window scaffolding, which are likely to be there for several months). The boiler is working too, so if you can get to church you will at least be warm and comfortable!