Multihog unleashed on Bedford Borough’s potholes

Bedford Borough Council has deployed a new weapon in its battle against potholes - a 'Multihog'.

The innovative multi-purpose vehicle - considered the Swiss army knife of highways equipment - has already fixed dozens of potholes and a multitude of other defects on the borough's roads since it was introduced last month.

The council's pothole hit squad is now reinstating between 100 and 150 square metres of road surface a day, compared to up to 40 square metres using traditional methods. This enables the workforce to finish repairs in any given area much more quickly.

With bolt-on specialist attachments, the Multihog can perform a number of different jobs, including gritting, cleansing, snow-clearing and grass-cutting.

The machine can churn road surface to depths of up to 125mm in 400mm strips - and in half the time it would take two workmen with hand-held drills. Its road speed of 40km/h also enables it to travel independently around the borough from one job to the next rather than having to be loaded on and off a trailer and this manoeuvrability is much more convenient.

As well as time-saving benefits, there is good news on the health front. Using the Multihog means no hand-held drills, which in turn means a lower risk of hand-arm vibration syndrome - a significant cause of ill health in people who work with hand-held power tools.

Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said: "Our investment in the Multihog is a win-win measure for local roads and local taxpayers. Not only will it enable speedier, good quality highways repairs but it will also achieve real savings in comparison to more traditional means of pothole and patch repair."

A pothole hit squad service was launched by the council in January 2011 to provide a quick response service to carry out permanent repairs to potholes. Since its launch, the service has repaired more than 12,000 potholes across the borough.

Local residents who wish to report a pothole are asked to contact the Highways Helpdesk on 01234 228661 or visit www.bedford.gov.uk