Pothole patrols to cut complaints

Thermally insulated vehicles will be used to monitor potholes

Special patrols to seek out potholes are being introduced to cut the number of complaints about the state of roads and footpaths in Essex.

Essex County Council said the patrols were part of the "most radical and innovative scheme ever seen in the UK to tackle the issue of potholes".

Officials said a team of workers would be dedicated to filling holes and armed with "high tech equipment".

The council said it also wanted to improve the quality of repairs.

A council spokesman added officers would monitor repairs using "thermally insulated vehicles and intelligent GPS devices with built in 3G technology and digital imaging".

"Our Making Potholes History scheme is the most responsive and speediest approach to pothole fixing ever seen," the spokesman added.