Council tries out machine that makes pothole repairs

The Jetpatcher, which is one of only a handful of the machines in the UK, is being trialled by York Council's road maintenance team.

The machine was being tested yesterday in the Elvington and Wheldrake areas to the south-east of York to repair rural roads.

The equipment cleans and dries the pothole using compressed air, then sprays in a mixture of bitumen and aggregate.

The vehicle-mounted system is designed specifically to fix potholes and has a self-contained lorry-mounted unit, which carries and mixes its own supply of bitumen and aggregate material.

The material is then compacted into the pothole and dries almost instantly, enabling the road to be re-opened quickly – minimising disruption to motorists.