Vale of Glamorgan tactic to repair potholes on county roads

You might have also noticed a yellow box sprayed round certain potholes. We’ve been in touch with the Vale of Glamorgan Council to find out exactly why they are getting sprayed and what the process is for repair.

It comes as Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which was commissioned to write an independent survey of local authority highway departments in England and Wales, says the report on Britain’s roads makes for “bleak reading”.

Yellow boxes round potholes might be infuriating to see – instead of just filling them in – however there is tactic the Vale Council is applying in order to fill the potholes in the most efficient way.

The yellow spray paint marks a pothole, or carriageway defect, that has been approved for repair.

Highway inspectors then take a decision based on a number of criteria to order which potholes are repaired. This is done to prioritise those posing the greatest risk are filled most urgently.

The RAC say common problems caused by potholes include damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels.

According to the Asphalt Industry Alliance, a one-time catch-up of bringing all roads in England and Wales up to scratch would take 11 years to complete at a cost of a massive £14 billion.

A spokesperson for the Vale of Glamorgan Council said filling potholes is a big part of work keeping Vale roads up to scratch.  

“Filling potholes is a big part of our work to maintain the Vale’s highway infrastructure,” said the Vale Council.

“In March alone the Vale of Glamorgan Council filled 700 potholes across the county.

“Our highways inspectors undertake regular inspections of roads in the Vale but residents can also report any potholes they may see via our website or by calling Contact One Vale.”

Number of pothole repairs in the Vale by month in 2022

*The council says, because potholes are often caused by winter weather, numbers fluctuate across the year.

• Apr 2022 - 541;
• May 2022 - 368;
• June 2022 - 294;
• Jul 2022 - 218;
• Aug 2022 - 275;
• Sep 2022 - 191;
• Oct 2022 – 166;
• Nov 2022 - 246;
• Dec 2022 – 433;
• Jan 2023 - 601;
• Feb 2023 - 716;
• Mar 2023 - 700.

Vale of Glamorgan Council hire the JCB pothole killing machine

In April, it was revealed the Vale Council has employed a super sophisticated new piece of kit that repairs potholes in just eight minutes.

The JCB Pothole Pro machine is a pothole killer that crops, cuts and cleans the repair from potholes all in one go, reducing the time it takes to fill a pothole from one hour to eight minutes, and reducing the price to repair a pothole from £60 to £30.

In the same month, the RAC revealed it responded to 10,076 call-outs for faults most likely caused by poor road surfaces during the first three months of 2023 – a 39 per cent increase on the same period in 2022.

Surge in pothole-related breakdowns due to ‘scandalous’ state of roads – RAC

RAC roads spokesman Simon Williams described the state of roads as “nothing short of scandalous”.

He said: “Drivers are telling us that the UK’s local roads are in a worse state than ever and it’s hard to disagree looking at some of the craters that litter so many of our carriageways.”

“It’s not right that drivers who are struggling to make ends meet are having to fork out for new tyres, wheels, suspension springs and shock absorbers simply because our roads have been allowed to fall into such a dire state of repair.”