Cumbria County Council is harnessing extra resources to help repair damage to the county’s roads caused by freezing winter temperatures.

The pothole repair initiative will begin in Eden and South Lakeland and continue throughout the county in the coming months.

The council has organised jet patching and thermal road patching machines to fix potholes, carry out emergency road repairs and seal worn sections of the carriageway.

Between February 21 and 11 March, Highways Teams mended 547 by a velocity machine and 502 by a thermal patcher, in Eden; and 543 by a velocity machine, in the South Lakes.

The high-powered jet patching equipment uses a cold bitumen emulsion that is forced into every crack and crevice under high pressure to fill a pothole.

Thermal road patching machines work by melting the existing poor road surface and producing a permanent, heat-sealed, seamless repair that re-establishes the ‘original quality’ of the road.

According to the council, thermal road patchers can repair a road defect in as little as 15 minutes and the technology can reduce carbon emissions, minimise disruption to the public and traffic, and facilitate a faster repair.

Regular progress updates and photos will be posted on the council's social media channels over the coming weeks.

Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “Freezing temperatures have taken their toll on the condition of roads.

“Repairing damaged road surfaces is a top priority for the county council, and we’re deploying this patching technology to support this essential work.

“These machines provide an extremely fast, efficient method that can permanently repair a pothole in a fraction of the time it usually takes conventional repair methods.

“The repairs are more cost-effective and are instantly ready to take vehicles reducing disruption to the public and providing a long-lasting repair.

“Our pothole repair program has started in Eden and South Lakes but will be coming to a town near you soon.”