My DIY repair job backed by a hole lot of science

WITH an estimated million potholes across Britain, the Sunday Express decided to fill one in — and found there’s more science involved than we realised.

- By Chris Riches

We have all suffered that grimacing judder when driving and having to check for any expensive damage.

So I visited the research and development base of Holcim UK — one of Britain’s largest aggregate and asphalt suppliers — in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, to study the science behind potholes and try fixing one.

We need to understand what the causes are — and there is no one better than Holcim’s technical director Phil Sabin to explain.

As I stared into the perfectly square hole where an unlucky employee’s parking spot used to be, Phil told me: “A pothole is primarily caused by water infiltration. Moisture seeps into cracks and beneath the asphalt layer. When it gets cold, trapped water freezes and expands, exerting

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