Fifteen pothole repair methods trialled in Banbury to improve Oxfordshire roads
It comes after a surge in damage from cold and wet months
A stretch of road in Banbury has been used to test 15 different pothole repair methods as Oxfordshire County Council looks for better ways to fix roads.
Working alongside road maintenance contractor M Group, the council carried out the trial yesterday.
A 700-metre section of Wildmere Road was closed and divided into sections, with each one receiving a different type of pothole repair or surface patching method.
Councillor Liz Leffman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Construction and Repair, said the impact of potholes this winter had been “unprecedented”.
She said: “We are committed to seeking new and innovative methods of carrying out repairs on our 3,000-mile road network. Technology is changing all the time and it is important to test the latest products to maximise value for money when it comes to road maintenance."
Since January, M Group says it has repaired more than 33,000 potholes and road defects.
By comparison, 37,042 potholes were filled across the whole of the 2024/25 financial year.
The rise in repair work follows a winter marked by a prolonged freeze and a subsequent period of heavy rain, conditions which led to a surge in emergency reports.
At its peak, the council was receiving more than 1,000 reports a week, with over 1,300 defects reported in a single week in March.
To tackle the backlog, the number of repair crews across Oxfordshire was increased from seven to 25.
Additional specialist equipment has also been deployed, including a Bobcat planer, Dragon Patcher and thermal road repair systems.
Richard Lovewell, Business Director at M Group, said: “With wetter winters and hotter summers, it is vital we keep adapting our maintenance techniques to cope with increasing pressure on our road networks.”
Wildmere Road will now be monitored over the next two years to assess the performance of each repair method, including durability, waste generated, carbon impact, use of recycled materials, and overall efficiency.