Pothole Busters hit the streets with high speed technology

5 February 2010

Hampshire’s Pothole Busters teams will be back in force across the county tackling the damage left in the road surfaces by the severe winter.

Extra resources have been brought in and there are now 50 gangs busting potholes all over Hampshire.

Pothole Busters will be using a range of techniques including hot patching which is used for larger areas, verge repairs which are carried out by infilling with compacted limestone and topsoil; and jetpatching. A jetpatcher is a high speed patching machine which is effective in places with numerous defects and can fix up to 2000 potholes in a week. It works by blasting potholes with hot air to remove debris and then spraying in a mixture of bitumen and aggregate under pressure which fills and seals it. The whole process takes only a few minutes and the road is ready for traffic immediately afterwards.

While it may be necessary to carry out temporary repairs in some places to make the road safe again, the majority of repairs carried out will be permanent and will use ‘hot’ material, which generally produces much better results.

You can report faults, including potholes and roadside defects online where you can also track progresse. Alternatively, you can phone 0845 603 5633

Pothole Busters work is being carried out by Amey, the County Council’s highways maintenance contractor. Amey also carries out a range of highways maintenance work for the County Council including sorting out drainage problems, vegetation encroachment, maintaining pavements, and ensuring road signs are clear and visible.