New pothole repair machine should be ‘out and about’ in Northamptonshire this week

In March, Northamptonshire County Council’s cabinet agreed to endorse the purchase of two thermal repair machines to be used by KierWSP.

The machines are more environmentally friendly, cost just £35 per square metre compared to £90 per square metre using current methods, and would repair up to 100 potholes a day compared to 40 using traditional road repair methods.

The new machine had already been trialled in Wellingborough and East Northants, and according to the county council was scheduled to begin work in other areas in March.

Since then, however, the coronavirus pandemic has taken precedence in the county council’s priorities.

Last month, following an enquiry from Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Chris Stanbra, the cabinet member for highways, Councillor Jason Smithers, said the machines would be expected ‘soon’ and that the authority was ‘crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s’.

And giving an update at the latest virtual cabinet meeting on Tuesday (May 12), Councillor Smithers said: “I know a lot of you have been emailing and asking when they are coming into the county. I’m pleased to say we should have one in by the end of this week at the Brixworth depot , and we should have the second one in by the end of the month. They go along and melt the road and put a seamless repair patch on the road, which is better than the traditional way pothole repairs have been done.”