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| Is this a solution to our pothole nightmare? | Is this a solution to our pothole nightmare? |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| A winter of freeze-thaw-freeze has left the UK's roads riddled with 1.6 million new potholes. Now councils are turning to a new piece of kit to quickly repair pockmarked roads - a Jetpatcher machine. | A winter of freeze-thaw-freeze has left the UK's roads riddled with 1.6 million new potholes. Now councils are turning to a new piece of kit to quickly repair pockmarked roads - a Jetpatcher machine. |
| Road users beware | Road users beware |
| Suspension-jarring, bike-toppling, ankle-turning potholes are the bane of road users and local authorities alike. | Suspension-jarring, bike-toppling, ankle-turning potholes are the bane of road users and local authorities alike. |
| And this winter's big chill has cracked and crumbled highways and byways to such an extent that the AA reports pothole-related claims are up 400%, and councils are throwing money at their ravaged roads. | And this winter's big chill has cracked and crumbled highways and byways to such an extent that the AA reports pothole-related claims are up 400%, and councils are throwing money at their ravaged roads. |
| A number have turned to a £140,000 patching lorry with which one operator can fill one pothole in about five minutes for £60 - a fraction of the time it takes a repair gang to do the job manually. | A number have turned to a £140,000 patching lorry with which one operator can fill one pothole in about five minutes for £60 - a fraction of the time it takes a repair gang to do the job manually. |
| In favourable conditions - neither too wet nor too icy - it can fix 2,000 potholes a week, says a spokeswoman for Hampshire County Council, which has been using a leased machine since early February as part of its boosted Pothole Busters programme. | In favourable conditions - neither too wet nor too icy - it can fix 2,000 potholes a week, says a spokeswoman for Hampshire County Council, which has been using a leased machine since early February as part of its boosted Pothole Busters programme. |
| The Jetpatcher is mainly deployed to repair rural roads with many minor potholes close together, and to smooth damaged verges, she says. More major potholes are repaired manually. | The Jetpatcher is mainly deployed to repair rural roads with many minor potholes close together, and to smooth damaged verges, she says. More major potholes are repaired manually. |
| About 50 are now in use throughout Britain, from Jetpatcher UK or Sunderland-based Velocity UK. Argyll and Bute, Aberdeen, York and Liverpool are among the councils to buy or hire the machines. | About 50 are now in use throughout Britain, from Jetpatcher UK or Sunderland-based Velocity UK. Argyll and Bute, Aberdeen, York and Liverpool are among the councils to buy or hire the machines. |
| "A high majority of Scottish councils have bought or leased one. We've had a lot of enquiries in England. And a lot of councils in Wales are already using Jetpatchers," says a spokesman for Jetpatcher UK. | "A high majority of Scottish councils have bought or leased one. We've had a lot of enquiries in England. And a lot of councils in Wales are already using Jetpatchers," says a spokesman for Jetpatcher UK. |
| Repairing a pothole manually | |
| The traditional method of repair involves a gang of up to five people with a lorry-load of asphalt. They clear and fill the holes with shovels, buckets and wheelbarrows, then use a roller or whacker to smooth the surface. | |
| Sometimes the crew needs to dig out the damaged road surface before filling begins. And the patch may need to dry overnight before a layer of micro-asphalt can be laid on top, says a spokeswoman for Hull City Council. | |
| The Jetpatcher does all this in one smooth operation, then moves on to the next pothole as traffic resumes its path over the newly repaired road. | The Jetpatcher does all this in one smooth operation, then moves on to the next pothole as traffic resumes its path over the newly repaired road. |
| But as with manual repairs, the machine is rather stymied by the weather. Too cold and/or too wet, and the asphalt will not set properly. This can allow more water to seep into the roadway, and the whole vicious circle starts again. | But as with manual repairs, the machine is rather stymied by the weather. Too cold and/or too wet, and the asphalt will not set properly. This can allow more water to seep into the roadway, and the whole vicious circle starts again. |
| Potholes are formed by water seeping through cracks in the asphalt surface of a road. When temperatures plunge, the water freezes, expands and causes the road surface to rupture. The ice then melts, leaving a space below the surface, which caves in under the stress of vehicles and eventually forms a pothole. | Potholes are formed by water seeping through cracks in the asphalt surface of a road. When temperatures plunge, the water freezes, expands and causes the road surface to rupture. The ice then melts, leaving a space below the surface, which caves in under the stress of vehicles and eventually forms a pothole. |
| Nationally, there are an estimated 1.6 million new potholes due to the icy spell, and the Local Government Association says the repair bill will be about £100m this year. | Nationally, there are an estimated 1.6 million new potholes due to the icy spell, and the Local Government Association says the repair bill will be about £100m this year. |