Four parish councillors have been helping to fix Oxfordshire's roads more quickly.
The Kidlington Parish Council volunteers received training, and cans of spray paint to mark up defects on the roads, from Oxfordshire County Council as they become Fix My Street 'super users'.
They are among 150 super users across the county who are trained to inspect potholes, blocked drains, and damaged kerbing.
While all residents are encouraged to report road or street problems on Fix My Street, which can be found on Oxfordshire County Council’s website, the programme's super users can sometimes fast-track the process by ordering the defect repairs directly with the council's contractor.
Councillor Lesley McLean, leader of Kidlington Parish Council, said: "Enrolling as Fix My Street super users is an ideal way of increasing community involvement in areas that will improve our village.
"There is huge public interest in fixing potholes and unblocking drains, and now our members can use their local knowledge and contacts to target the county council’s resources where they are needed most.
"Our residents can be reassured that the report they make on Fix My Street will be prioritised through local super users, where the criteria is met.
"We look forward to getting stuck in with our spray cans and doing our bit to make our roads safer."
Super users are only expected to cover their local area on mainly residential or quieter roads, not A-roads, and only when it is safe to do so. All equipment and training is provided.
Although county council highways officers inspect their areas regularly, additional help increases the number of defects that can be repaired and makes the process more efficient, the council said.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for transport management, said: "I am constantly in awe of the work that volunteers do in our county, and I am incredibly grateful for the time and effort the Fix My Street super users put in to make our highways teams aware of problems on the roads.
"Their local knowledge, enthusiasm, and hard work are helping us to resolve potholes, kerbing, and drainage issues more quickly and efficiently.
"I would like to thank them for their efforts and invite more people to join them in improving the situation on the streets where they live."
Any residents or organisations wanting to become Fix My Street super users can email volunteercoordinationteam@oxfordshire.gov.uk for more information.
The Fix My Street super users are among the initiatives that form part of the county council’s Oxfordshire Together programme of volunteers.
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