Plan to tackle potholes across Lancashire

Lancashire County Council is hoping an innovative method could speed up repairs to potholes damaged by the cold and wet winter weather.

Machines using a techniuqe called 'spray injection patching' have recently begun patrolling the country's worst-hit rural roads.

The machines can make an average of 60 repairs a day to all kinds of defects, something the council says will be a 'significant boost' to their capacity to tackle potholes.

They work firstly using compressed air to remove all dust, debris and water from the affected area. Once the road has been cleaned, a cold emulsion is used to seal the defect. An aggregate mix is then fired in at high speed, with another coating of bitumen emulsion to prevent water from getting in.

County Councillor Andrew Snowden, lead member for highways and transport, said: "The alternating spells of wet followed by cold weather we've had over the winter have created the perfect conditions for potholes to appear.

"Our highway teams have been working in all weathers to fix them, but it has been hard going at times as the wet and icy conditions have made it very difficult to make lasting repairs.

"As the warmer weather arrives and our annual programme of resurfacing begins I hope people will really see the difference as we get on top of the repair backlog and deal with the winter damage.

"One of the ways we're trying to make progress as quickly as possible is by using these spray injection machines which are very efficient and an excellent preventative tool to stop pothole problems from forming in the first place.

"We've already had four of these machines working over recent weeks, and now have six which will be with us until mid-October when the winter weather arrives again and they can no longer operate as effectively."

The county council has budgeted £23m for maintenance to Lancashire's road surfaces in 2018/19, with around £10m of this set aside to fix potholes and carry out minor repairs, such as spray injection patching.

Following a government announcement at the end of March, the council will also receive a further £2.4m from the national 'pothole action fund'.

County Councillor Snowden added: "We are determined to address the problems of potholes and other road defects, which are such a concern for people across Lancashire.

"We've got an extensive programme of maintenance planned for the coming months, and with the help of technology such as the spray injection machines, I'm sure people will begin to see the difference in the condition of our roads very soon.