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

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 will cover several areas across the county, including Chagford.

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, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: ‘I am 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’.

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, different teams may be needed where different types of repair are required.

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

‘It is 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’.