08/02/2024 (BBC News), A council is trialling a new machine to repair potholes which runs on hydrotreated vegetable oil.

Suffolk County Council claims the Dragon Patcher works five times faster than the traditional method of fixing potholes.

It is being used in rural areas after bad weather led to more potholes.

The trial is running alongside the authority's pothole repair programme; 2,851 were repaired in the county over the past two months, the council said.

The Dragon Patcher uses compressed air to clean the road surface, which heats it to allow the repair material to bond with it.

The machine is fuelled with hydrotreated vegetable oil and the council claims it reduces raw material use and creates zero waste.

Paul West, Ipswich councillor for operational highways and flooding, said: "The recent cold and wet weather has expectedly brought a huge spike in the number of potholes appearing across our roads, and we are working around the clock to tackle the current levels we are seeing.

"The arrival of the Dragon Patcher in Suffolk will help bolster our efforts in getting these defects repaired, especially focusing on rural roads where we can repair higher numbers, in a fraction of the time."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-68228575