en.Wedoany.com Reported - Oxfordshire County Council, in collaboration with highway contractor M Group, has conducted a comparative trial of pothole repair methods on Wildmere Road in Banbury, testing 15 different approaches for filling potholes or repairing minor defects.
The trial took place on a closed 700-meter section of road, divided into segments, each using a different type of pothole or repair method to allow direct comparison of their effectiveness.
This is the council's second such innovation event. The first trial, held in Steventon in 2023, is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, testing seven repair methods. The current trial is significantly larger in scale.
Councillor Liz Leffman, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for highway construction and repair, noted that the impact of potholes on roads this winter has been unprecedented, both in Oxfordshire and across the country. The council is committed to seeking new and innovative repair methods across its 3,000-mile road network. Technology is advancing rapidly, and testing the latest products is crucial to achieving maximum value for money in highway maintenance. She stated that the 2023 event led the council to adopt several new repair methods and rule out others, and hopes this latest trial will provide contractors with evidence and information to determine which repair methods work best on the same stretch of road.
Since January 2026, M Group has repaired over 33,000 highway defects. In comparison, a total of 37,042 potholes were filled during the full year of 2024-25. This winter's weather pattern of prolonged freezing followed by persistent rainfall has made potholes highly prone to forming, leading to an unprecedented increase in emergency pothole reports. The council receives over 1,000 reports per week, with defects exceeding 1,300 in a single week in early March. In response, repair crews have been increased from 7 to 25 to tackle the backlog, and more specialist crews and equipment have been brought in, including a Bobcat planer, a Dragon Patcher, and thermal road repair equipment.
Richard Lovewell, Business Director at M Group, stated that from introducing the Dragon Patcher in 2015 to hosting the UK's first pothole trial day in 2023, M Group and Oxfordshire County Council have a strong track record of collaborating to find better ways to maintain and repair roads. This trial is a further step forward in this progress. By testing new products and methods, they can ensure the most cost-effective materials are used in the right conditions and at the right locations, improving efficiency and durability, and providing better value for Oxfordshire residents. He noted that with wetter winters and hotter summers, maintenance techniques must continuously adapt to meet the increasing pressure on the road network.
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