THE first repairs of a seven-week pothole repair trial have been carried out in Devon.

Work has started on the pilot scheme which will see Devon Highways filling all potholes, not just safety defects, in selected trial areas of the county for the rest of this month and throughout October.

The trial areas cover parts of Barnstaple as well as areas in Hatherleigh, Chagford and North Tawton.

The aim will be to establish the implications of taking a more proactive approach to fixing potholes before they become “safety defects”.

Councillor Dan Thomas, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, joined highways teams near the A3072 on the Road from Moor View to de Bathe Cross at North Tawton on Tuesday, September 16 to see some of the repairs being undertaken.

He said: “I’m pleased to see the start of this trial and I’m optimistic it will make a positive difference. The Highways team has taken on board this idea and got things moving pretty swiftly so we now just need to see what impact this change to working procedures might have.

“We’re woefully underfunded by central Government so we have to try something different, and with more miles of roads than any other authority in the country it’s no easy task.

“Depending on the results of this trial it could be rolled across the county, but we would need to establish the benefits in terms of efficiencies, value for money and if it improves the county’s road network.”

Councillor Sue Davies, County Councillor for Hatherleigh and Chagford, said: “I’m delighted that parts of Hatherleigh and Chagford division have been chosen as one of only two locations in Devon to run the trial.

“It’s a common-sense approach to carry out work on the majority of potholes in a road and not just those classified as safety defects – the public are often dismayed when the workforce depart with their materials and equipment leaving half of the potholes untouched.

“I really hope the trial is a success and that financial constraints don’t hinder a roll-out across the county.”

Under the trial, when highway safety inspectors investigate potholes reported by the public they will be asked to record all other potholes within 500 metres in each direction, or to the nearest highway junction.

Repair teams will then fix those recorded potholes within their traffic management set-up at the same time. Depending on the size of potholes, Devon County Council says different teams may be needed where different types of repair are required.