Sunderland's Velocity pothole repair firm heads for Wembley

A Sunderland highway repair firm is on the road to Wembley glory.
Tony Kennedy - Head of Highways and Infrastructure, Brent Council; Dominic Gardner - Managing Director of Velocity, and Coun Shama Tatler, lead member for Regeneration, Highways and PlanningTony Kennedy - Head of Highways and Infrastructure, Brent Council; Dominic Gardner - Managing Director of Velocity, and Coun Shama Tatler, lead member for Regeneration, Highways and Planning
Tony Kennedy - Head of Highways and Infrastructure, Brent Council; Dominic Gardner - Managing Director of Velocity, and Coun Shama Tatler, lead member for Regeneration, Highways and Planning

Twice as many potholes are set to be filled in Brent, as the borough becomes the first in the capital to adopt the widespread use of Velocity’s spray-injection patching to repair roads.

The council is pioneering the use of the method to tackle potholes and other defects with minimal traffic disruption.

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Sunderland based Velocity’s technique involves a three-stage process which clears defects using high velocity air, then perfectly seals them to prevent further deterioration before aggregate coated in a bitumen emulsion is applied.

Tony Kennedy - Head of Highways and Infrastructure, Brent Council; Dominic Gardner - Managing Director of Velocity, and Coun Shama Tatler, lead member for Regeneration, Highways and PlanningTony Kennedy - Head of Highways and Infrastructure, Brent Council; Dominic Gardner - Managing Director of Velocity, and Coun Shama Tatler, lead member for Regeneration, Highways and Planning
Tony Kennedy - Head of Highways and Infrastructure, Brent Council; Dominic Gardner - Managing Director of Velocity, and Coun Shama Tatler, lead member for Regeneration, Highways and Planning

Tony Kennedy, Brent Council’s Head of Highways and Infrastructure, said: “With traditional excavate and fill repairs we would repair between twenty to twenty-five defects per day. Using this technique, we can repair in excess of fifty per day.

“The response and compliments we’ve had from residents have been very encouraging.

“A question we’re frequently asked by residents is ‘Why didn’t you fix that one?’. A benefit of this approach is that Velocity will repair every defect they find on the highway, working from one end of a street to the other.”

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Because the process is so fast and uses a mobile works process, road closures are not necessary.

Coun Shama Tatler, Brent’s lead member for Regeneration, Highways and Planning, said: “We want to keep traffic moving and make our roads the best they can be.

“It’ll take some time but we believe this new way of filling potholes quickly will improve the condition and appearance of our road network while giving taxpayers even better value for money.”

Velocty MD Dominic Gardner said: “We are very proud to be working in partnership with Brent Council on this extensive project. To adapt to the busy urban environment, we have adjusted our machine and process to protect street furniture, verges and vehicles.

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“The team at Brent put us to the test, proving the suitability and durability of our process for the busiest urban networks.”

Velocity will be visiting each of the borough’s 22 wards, for two weeks on average. This will be repeated in 2020.