COUNCILS should endeavour to fix potholes with long-term fixes rather than short-term patches.

That was the word from Hexham MP and Roads Minister Guy Opperman following a visit to Newcastle-based company Jobling Purser. Mr Opperman visited the resurfacing solutions specialists on Scotswood Road last week to see how councils can best utilise the Government’s multi-billion pound investment to tackle potholes.

The £8.3 million cash boost was one of a number of projects made possible by reallocating money saved by scrapping HS2. Mr Opperman said local authorities should commit to “long-term and innovative solutions” to repair potholes.

The minister said: “It was brilliant to meet with Jobling Purser and discuss the challenges faced by local authorities and the ways they can best make the most of our record investment into road resurfacing across the country.

“We’re on the side of drivers, which is why this government is getting on with delivering our plan to invest an additional £8.3 billion in the biggest ever funding increase for local road improvements, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.”

The Department for Transport acknowledges that a key challenge faced by local councils is finding the balance between undertaking repairs at pace to keep traffic flowing, and committing to longer-term works which can futureproof roads but require them to be closed for longer.

It was pointed out that while longer road closures can force local authorities to opt for short-term fixes, these can lead to greater disruption as inadequate patching requires more maintenance into the future.

Mr Opperman said he was “encouraging local authorities to rethink their approach to road resurfacing to deliver long-term repairs which leave roads smoother for generations to come and will mean road users will see far fewer road works in the future”.

Northumberland County Council carried out a trial last year to see the impact of longer-term fixes. Councillors have since made the decision to continue the trial into the new financial year.

Council leader Glen Sanderson said: “We did carry out a trial in the west and north of the county. It is significantly more expensive to do permanent patches but it is something that we have allocated £2.5-£3 million in this financial year.

“It is something we wanted to do and it is something we want to do more of, but it is very expensive. We feel the trials were positive enough to find more money.

“One of the big problems we have got is, it is expensive because we need to have traffic management in place, because we have to close a carriageway or the road entirely and that massively increases the cost. We have allocated a huge amount of money to the roads' budget.

“We are fighting the battle against potholes and we will win.”

David Jobling-Purser, sales and marketing Director for Jobling Purser, welcomed the Government’s investment into pothole repair.

He said: “Investment in our local road networks is most definitely welcomed. The Government’s commitment to seeing this funding deliver the best value can ensure longer-life repairs are carried out and preventative measures implemented to protect our roads for the future.

“This is the only way we will see the current pothole pandemic being addressed.”