Is new pothole filler machine all it's cracked up to be in Milton Keynes?

A state-of-the-art turbo spray injection machine hired to blast the city's pothole problem has been branded a damp squib by Conservative councillors.

Labour-led MK Council unveiled the turbo spray injecting machine with a flourish on their social media page at the beginning of last week.

But after negative comments from the public, claiming the “patchy” repairs were already falling apart, the posts on Twitter and Facebook were hastily removed.

MK Conservative Leader Councillor Alex Walker said: “It seems the public didn’t think this machine was all it was cracked up to be.

“A gimmick three weeks before an election clearly didn’t fool anyone.”

Labour, however, are adamant that the turbo spray injection machine is doing its job.

“We have no reason to think that there is anything wrong with the potholes the machine has already fixed,” said council leader Pete Marland.

“The people complaining on social media were referring to potholes that were filled some time ago, not the more recent ones,” he claimed.

Pete said the council decided to take down the turbo spray injection machine post to avoid prompting “the wrong kind of debate”.

One Twitter comment stated: “The quality of repair on the ones that were done is very poor and will only last a short while.”

Another driver was worried about the chippings left behind, and warned: “You’re going to end up with chipped windscreen claims.”

Pete said: “The turbo spray injection machine has been tested elsewhere in the country.

“Its work is guaranteed. If the repair goes wrong, it will be done again.”

The turbo turbo spray injection machine has been hired by MK Council to fill 20,000 potholes over the summer period. It has already filled up to 2,000 since Monday last week.

Instead of filling potholes one at a time, the machine concentrates on dealing with clusters in one go. This is not only quicker, but more cost effective, say Labour.

MK Conservatives have announced they will fix 8,000 extra potholes within six months should they take control of the council after next month’s elections