Dumfries and Galloway Council to recruit more staff to fix region's roads

Dumfries and Galloway Council is aiming to have up to 25 new workers fixing the region’s roads this summer.

Recruitment will begin this month as the local authority invests record amounts of cash into addressing the many potholes and crumbling roads across the region.

It was also revealed that the council is considering investing in the revolutionary JCB Pothole Pro – which can fix a single pothole in around eight minutes.

The machine has been on the council’s radar for over a year now and trials were recently completed which highlighted how effective and efficient it could be in fixing the roads – with the right manpower supporting it.

Speaking at the communities committee yesterday on Tuesday, Steven Herriott, the council’s head of roads and infrastructure, said: “It was a short trial, an experiment.

“It was evident that we probably needed two patching crews to follow on behind because of the rate of productivity of the equipment.

“We certainly want to trial that again with the right plant, materials, and resource to follow behind that to follow its productivity.”

As the JCB Pro costs upwards of £165,000, council chiefs are weighing up whether to buy the machinery outright or opt for a lease agreement with the manufacturer.

A trial will also begin in May with thermal patching equipment. This melts the roads surface and allows it to be re-compacted and effectively recycled on the spot.

With the council committing more than £30m to finally getting on top of its roads maintenance issues over the next five years, external advisor Stephen Hall has been drafted in to formulate a plan for using the roads investment monies wisely.

He spoke at the meeting about plans to recruit up to 25 more workers.

Mr Hall said: “We anticipate starting the recruitment process during this month. Then we have recruitment running generally during the May period.

“We’re also looking at the options of having some recruitment events so that we can support people who want to apply for these roles who aren’t currently working for the council.

“Our aim is to have as many staff as possible with us during the mid-summer period so that they can working and fixing the roads during that prime period when the weather is a bit better.”