A new piece of kit will accelerate the speed at which potholes in Richmond are fixed.

Richmond Council is now in possession of "innovative" thermal repair equipment and says it will use the technology to carry out a range of road repairs in the borough starting next week.

Benefits of the thermal repair process include:

• it is more environmentally friendly
• a reduced carbon footprint
• better value for money

Contractors will heat the existing damaged road material until it is soft enough to be reshaped as a partial filling for the pothole, speeding repair times by up to 40%. It means there is no need to remove the old material, which reduces the disposal of waste material and the amount of new asphalt required.

The council said the new thermal method is quieter because power tools are not used, lowering the carbon footprint of repairs.

Cllr Alexander Ehmann is chair of the Transport and Air Quality Committee. He said: "I saw the pilot in action during the summer and this cutting-edge technology will have a significant impact; helping us to ensure more potholes are filled and all in a shorter time.

"The council is continually striving to improve services, deliver better value and embrace technological advances, so I am delighted we have secured this new equipment to improve our road repair work. This technology is just the latest example of our council's restless determination to keep delivering improved services for its residents."

Visit the council website to view the repairs timetable.

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