NORTHUMBERLAND County Council is set to trial a new type of pothole repair that is hoped will produce long-lasting results.

Northumberland’s highways teams have to deal with around 40,000 potholes every year on the 3,500 miles-plus of roads in the county.

The three-month “invest to save” project will be trialled in North Northumberland and Tynedale. Affected areas will be cut out and patched, rather than the current method of filling and repairing the pothole itself.

The council has acknowledged that the new method is both more expensive and more time-consuming, but has argued that roads will be left smoother and more hard-wearing, meaning a pothole is less likely to reoccur.

At present, cutting and patching for the repair of defects identified through inspections or reports from the public is used less widely than the fill and repair method. 

A total of £492,000 was set aside by the council’s cabinet at a meeting on Tuesday to fund the scheme, set to get underway in June.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr John Riddle, portfolio holder for highways, said: “We have two trials in Tynedale and one in the North. We will then evaluate to see if it is a good way forward.

“It will cost us to do the tune of £492,000, but I think it is worth doing.”

Council leader Glen Sanderson added: “We have to do repairs the way we do because we have to react to potholes.

“Instead of doing the reactive repairs this will actually repair the section, cut it out and dispose of the material and fill it with a proper patch, which will last for a significantly longer time than the repairs we currently carry out. Having travelled around the country, I can tell you that Northumberland is rapidly improving in terms of its roads.

“I give great thanks to our staff who do a great job, and I’m really happy with the way things are moving forward. The roads belong to the people and it is our responsibility to look after them the best we can.”