A trial of a new plastic-based substance to help councils fix potholes has found that it could be faster, cleaner and less expensive.

Neath Port Talbot Council has been experimenting with a thermoplastic repair system to fill in potholes rather than the traditional tarmac.

The council found that it is fast working, produces little waste and is less expensive than tarmac because the coverage area per tonne was seven times greater.

The new substance is ‘hot applied’ to repair and preserve the condition of existing surfaces and requires no excavation

‘In the trial, a total of two hundred and fifteen square metres was repaired in around two days using approximately three tonnes of material,’ said a council spokesman.

‘If this was done with the traditional “excavate and reinstate” method this would have taken considerably longer, required approximately 21 tonnes of tarmac and would have produced a similar amount of spoil waste that would have needed tipping off.’

Cllr Ted Latham, the council’s cabinet member for streetscene and engineering said: ‘It’s good to see we are looking at new, quicker and hopefully less expensive methods of dealing with potholes which are major issue for all local authorities and which cause problems for our motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.’