More than 42,000 potholes have been fixed by Derbyshire County Council this year alone, as the council continues to put extra resources into highways maintenance.
A recent national survey found that the council had fixed more potholes than any other highways authority in the country.
The council has mobilised extra road worker gangs, who have been working weekends and longer hours in a bid to tackle potholes reported on the county’s roads.
Three Jetpatcher machines have been taken on to help, and they are mainly being used on rural roads. The Jetpatcher uses a high velocity air stream to clear existing holes of any debris and water as well as laying and compacting new Tarmac.
The council normally has 18 pothole-fixing gangs. Since the beginning of the year the aim has been to increase the number of gangs to 30 including the 3 Jetpatcher machines. Extra gangs have been created by moving road workers from other jobs.
The constant freezing and thawing then rainfall at the beginning of the year has led to roads cracking, resulting in a significant rise in the number of potholes and carriageway deterioration.
Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal said: “Our drive to blitz potholes is really making a difference, with more than 42,000 fixed this year so far.
“We always see a large number of potholes at this time of year as the weather takes a toll on the roads.
“We’ve put extra resources in and moved road workers from planned work to fixing potholes, and have asked them to work longer hours.
“We’ve also taken on 3 Jetpatcher machines, which are really helping on our more rural roads.
“I’d ask our residents to bear with us as we carry out the repairs, and apologise for any delays to road users while our gangs are out and about carrying out this vital work.”
The council has fixed 42,036 potholes from 1st January to 1st May 2023. In the year from March 2021 to April 2022, the council fixed 96,000 potholes.