New machine joins the team in the fight against Aylesbury Vale's potholes

A new specialist vehicle has joined the crew at Buckinghamshire Highways to help in the fight against potholes. The Pothole Pro is a time-saving, three-in-one vehicle designed to make pothole repairs faster.

Bucks Highways is a newly formed alliance between Bucks Council and two major companies, Balfour Beatty Living Places and Atkins, plus some specialist contractors.

Since April 1 it has taken over responsibility for all elements of highways maintenance and repair - including pothole repairs, gully cleansing, street lighting, winter gritting and resurfacing works – from the former Transport for Bucks (TfB).

Used by many councils across the country, the Pothole Pro first cuts into the road surface where a pothole has appeared, crops the perimeter of the hole neatly to allow a watertight repair, and then brushes away and collects the debris afterwards. Highways teams just need to lay and compact asphalt into the prepared hole to complete the repair.

Not only does it make repairs quicker, it also means operators are safely in their cab, with no risk of the use of vibrating hand tools affecting their hands or fingers.

Bucks Council cabinet member for transport, Steven Broadbent, said: “I joined the crew training on the Pothole Pro last week and was impressed with the potential of the machine and the speed the crew picked up the skills to operate the machine safely.

"This is just one of a number of tools we will be using to invest in and improve our roads. Whilst the machine won’t be able to access everywhere or fix all types of defects, it has great potential as another option we can use on our road network.”

Although potholes can occur at any time of the year, it is in late winter and early spring that the weather can have a massive impact on the number of potholes forming. There is an increase in the number of potholes on the county’s roads after heavy rain followed by freezing temperatures.

Bucks Council says Bucks Highways staff carry out regular inspections of the highway network to ensure potholes and other defects are identified and repaired in a timely manner.

Problems on the roads and footways of Bucks can be reported using Fix My Street.