New machine fills potholes in seconds

09:48 09 June 2009

Britain's ever-increasing pothole problem could soon be smoothed out if this new machine sets to work across the country.

The Jetpatcher, which costs 140,000, could save local councils millions in insurance claims and keep motorists happy by filling in the UK's worst road potholes with ease.

The machine can work on potholes up to 15 yards long and a foot deep and works thanks to its long tube which pumps out tar, which is then compressed into layers.

Brian Leech of Aberdeen council said: "It takes just five or ten minutes before it starts to dry."

The application takes a matter of seconds, and the drying times are similarly brief. The Jetpatcher is being trialled on some of Scotland's worst roads, and could potential save councils millions in compensation claims.

Aberdeen City Council's corporate director, Gordon McIntosh, said: "The Jetpatcher cleans out and heats the potholes to a temperature which enables the tar to make greater contact with the side of the hole and to give a much better seal than putting hot tar into a cold hole.

"This will make a huge difference to our pothole repair operations and the state of the city's roads."

Insurers Warranty Direct recently stated that pothole damage to cars was costing UK drivers 413million a year (1.1million every day). 6% of vehicles fall victim to pothole damage each year, usually hitting suspension systems the most.

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It is also estimated that there are around three million potholes on British roads, but current repair methods can only last for days at a time.

At current rates this would take 13 years to repair at a cost edging 1billion.

The worst affected region is Ayrshire, Scotland, where 14.05% of vehicles suffer damage. Northumberland (13.84%) is next, followed by Renfrewshire (13.58%).

On the sunnier side of the street, Oxfordshire has the best statistics, with less than 5% of vehicles suffering damage.