Fixing a hole down to "eight minutes" in Staffordshire

The council says it has increased the amount of money set aside for fixing potholes

An effort to fix potholes in Staffordshire is being stepped up, with a target of filling in 9,000 over the next 12 months.

The County Council said 1,591 were fixed in June, with crews taking advantage of good weather.

It added it had also been looking at new technology to speed up the work.

A trial of JCB equipment - said by the company to get fixing down to a lean eight minutes - had been carried out, the authority said.

The Pothole Pro will "speed up pothole repairs and minimise disruption to motorists", according to the council, which has increased its budget for fixing roads by £15.5m this financial year.

David Williams, the councillor responsible for highways, said: "The summer months are when our highway maintenance and repair programmes really get going."

He added council crews would be "pulling out all the stops to carry out other repairs such as gully cleaning and surface dressing".