A NEW way of repairing potholes is in the final stages of being tested by one Council in a bid to find out which method is most effective and long-lasting.

Kirklees Council trialled a number different methods for improving the repairs of potholes on the district's roads last year.

Of all the options used, the highways team found the MultiHog - a small planing machine - was the best.

The MultiHog is able to remove the damaged road surface from around the pothole, as well as the actual hole that has formed.

This means that the Council is less likely to have to revisit the same area twice to fix potholes that have formed later in the surrounding road surface.

A further four months of testing of this preferred method will now take place across Kirklees so the Council can further evaluate its performance, before making a final decision.

In the meantime the Council will also continue to use the nationally approved hand repair process.

The authority has also changed the way that it manages the pothole repair service in response to resident feedback

When a pothole is reported, instead of fixing that one then moving onto the next reported pothole, the Council will now work in geographical areas repairing all the potholes they find on the streets in that area before moving on to the next area.

Councillor Musarrat Khan, cabinet member responsible for highways said: “The trial last year allowed us to test a range of equipment and methods for dealing with one of the biggest problems facing our roads.

"Whilst we still have a backlog of repairs I am confident that this work will have a positive impact on the condition of Kirklees’ roads.

"I look forward to the results of the next stage of the trial and would like to thank all the staff who have undertaken training on the new equipment and shown commitment to using new ways of working.”