A GOVERNMENT minister has praised a council’s use of new technology to tackle potholes.

Machines capable of filling 60 holes a day have been unleashed onto the roads of East Lancashire.

Lancashire County Council is renting six machines which use a jet-powered patching technique to fill holes.

The machine uses compressed air to remove dust and debris, the hole is then filled and finally sealed with cold bitumen emulsion.

As well as fixing the deeper potholes, they are also repairing minor areas of damage to prevent potholes appearing in the first place.

Transport minister Chris Grayling said: “It’s good to see Lancashire County Council now being so proactive over potholes. The solution to this is not just more money.

“What you’re seeing from this council is the use of smart technology to solve a problem in a way that wasn’t available in the past.

“I think we have got to do a much better job on the quality of road surfaces and how well repairs are made.

“We are doing a lot of work in the department as to how we get much better technology working on our roads.

“When potholes arise they need to get fixed quickly so I think better technology and better road surfaces are needed which are less likely to crumble.

“It’s neither a temporary fix nor a solution but this is a really positive step. It doesn’t last forever but it doesn’t last for three months either.”

The county council has budgeted £23million for maintenance to Lancashire’s road surfaces in 2018/19, with around £10m of this set aside to fix potholes and carry out minor repairs, such as spray injection patching.

Following a government announcement at the end of March, the council will also receive a further £2.4m from the national ‘pothole action fund’.

The county council will have the machines until mid-October, when worsening weather will render them less effective.

The previous method of filling the county’s potholes cost £50 per fix but the new machines are more cost effective and allow the holes to be filled at a cost of between £8 and £15 each.

Earlier this month, County Cllr David Whipp, who represents Pendle Rural, said he was unsure if pot-hole filling was a solution to the problem.He said it would be a better idea for roads to be properly resurfaced instead.