Roads minister marks National Pothole Day

Future of roads minister Lilian Greenwood has marked National Pothole Day with a visit to a factory near Derby to see technology that his helping councils to tackle potholes.

Derbyshire has been highlighted by the RAC as the worst area in England for potholes and is set to benefit from the government's £1.6 billion to fix the roads. It is hoped councils will be able to fix 7 million more potholes.

There is £20 million for the East Midlands County Combined Authority, including Derbyshire.

At the JCB factory, Greenwood met with engineers and tried at the 'pothole pro' which can fix potholes in eight minutes for only £30. The tool is currently used by 20 local authorities.

The minister will also meet with local leaders to discuss their pothole plans.

Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, said: "Potholes are a clear sign of decline in our infrastructure and for too long roads like those in Derbyshire have been left in a state that endangers and costs road users.

"It’s time for change and we are investing £1.6 billion to fix up to 7 million more potholes across England this year, including over £75 million for the East Midlands Combined Authority.

"JCB’s ‘pothole pro’ is one of the many great examples of using new technology to repair potholes faster and demonstrates how companies are harnessing new technology to repair potholes faster.

"We’ll continue to engage with local leaders and industry to ensure innovations are being used to deliver roads the country deserves."

RAC senior policy officer, Rod Dennis, said: "There’s no motoring-related issue drivers are more concerned about than the state of their local roads – where almost everyone’s journeys begin and end.

"Going beyond merely patching potholes is the name of the game, and using the latest technology to perform permanent repairs is a much better use of public money. To stop our roads falling apart in the first place, we support councils surface dressing them at regular intervals and resurfacing those that are beyond reasonable repair."