North Tyneside Council’s highways team has taken delivery of a fleet of new and improved vehicles.
The seven new flatbed trucks will make it easier for the team to continue to repair about 3,000 potholes and footpath defects every year.
As well as being more reliable, the trucks feature a number of improvements, which will benefit the workforce.
Six of them have a hydraulic lift at the tailgate, which will make it easier for the crew to load and unload heavy equipment, while the seventh, a tipper truck, enables heavy materials and equipment to be rolled on and off.
All the trucks have dedicated storage units behind the cab for tools as well as hot and cold water and a soap dispenser.
Cllr Carl Johnson, Cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “Our highways team provides a hugely important service for our residents, which is why we closely monitor their performance when it comes to repairs.
“So far this year, all of the most serious highways defects, which were reported to them or identified through their inspections, were repaired within 24 hours. Just over 99 per cent of all others have been repaired within 10 working days.
“These new vehicles can only help them to continue to provide an efficient and effective response.”
The highways team is retaining two of its existing flatbed trucks and also has two state-of-the-art gully wagons. One gully wagon is a 1,800 gallon combination unit which can carry fresh water and effluents at the same time. The other is 2,550 gallon combination unit with a moving division, which means more fresh water or foul water can be carried as needed.
The highways service is delivered for North Tyneside Council by its partner Capita.