'Dragon patcher' tackling Devon's pothole problems

The machines, which emit flames, are being used across the county to tackle potholes

More than 5,000 potholes on Devon's roads have been repaired in the last six months using a 'dragon patcher' device, according to the county council.

The machines emit flames which helps the repair material bond to the existing road surface.

Additional funding has allowed Devon Country Council double the number of patching teams, from two to four.

Record numbers of potholes have been reported this year, with 24,000 called in the first four months of the financial year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

This was a 54% increase on the same period last year.

Councillor Jerry Brook told the Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee he had seen "considerable improvement" on the roads.

He said: "There has been an enormous amount of work and therefore improvement to our network in quite a short space of time.

"Some places are diabolical still and they may never get done, but I want to say congratulations to the team as there has been quite considerable improvement."

The council’s highways department was helped by an extra £12m in funding.

More than £7m of this has been put towards capital funding, which has allowed the council to double the number of patching teams.