Roadworks which started more than a year ago are causing chaos in a village high street.

Barkway High Street has been closed for the last two weeks as contractors working on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council try to repair an underground culvert which has been causing flooding.

The culvert was damaged by workers laying cables on behalf of the utility companies last summer, and has not yet been repaired.

The work is set to take another two weeks to complete, and residents say the diversion that has been put in place is causing confusion for motorists.

One Barkway resident, who asked not to be named, said: “The diversion signposting is unbelievably poor and does not work.

“Last week there were no signs informing drivers of the diversion until they were stopped by the roadworks.

“Some signs are now erected, but lorries, tractors with trailers, cars with caravans have all become stuck due to the inadequate signage.

“I have emailed the authorities about the lack of signage for vehicles coming from Nuthampstead and Buckland. There is nothing until they get into the village, past the last turn off, they end up at the road works, then try all the cul-de-sac turnings off the High Street looking for a way out.

“Most are delivery drivers or people following sat-nav directions trying to get to the A505 towards Norfolk or Suffolk. I have given directions to numerous lost travellers.”

Barkway’s county councillor Tony Hunter said the county council has taken over the work because the utility companies, who were originally started the work last summer, had failed to complete it.

He said: “They made a couple of attempts to fix it, but by the letter of the law there is no time limit for private companies to have to solve problems like this, which is why the county council have taken it back.

“The law is wrong, and councillors have written to our local MP to ask him to press for a change.”

Ringway, the county council’s highways contractor, is carrying out the latest works.

The company’s regional director Jerry Pert said: “Hertfordshire County Council asked us to replace the damaged culvert and we began work on August 26, 2014.

“The work is currently on schedule and we anticipate the work should be completed by the end of this month.”