Burnley MP Antony Higginbotham visits Lancashire's first 'rubber' road in Padiham

Lancashire County Council has been trialling an innovative asphalt mix using granulated rubber created by Tarmac and recently resurfaced Abingdon Road, Padiham.

Mr Higginbotham MP met with County Coun. Charlie Edwards at the site as he was interested in learning more about the process and seeing the finished result.

The addition of the ground tyre rubber means that less fossil fuel derived bitumen is used, as well as less energy due to the lower temperatures used. It delivers the same performance and surface characteristics as traditional materials but it is more environmentally friendly.

County Councillor Charlie Edwards, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at Lancashire County Council said:

"I was proud to show Burnley’s MP Anthony Higginbotham how we have used this innovative technique for the first time on a Lancashire highway. It was useful to speak to members of our Highways team and discover that this material not only has environmental benefits, but it can also help to reduce cracking and increase flexibility in the road.

"It's a priority for us to reduce our carbon footprint in maintaining Lancashire's roads by using new materials and technologies, and this year we are predicted to save 332 tonnes of CO2 through these new innovative processes throughout the county."

Mr Higginbotham MP said: "It’s good to see that the county council are rolling out investment in Burnley and Padiham’s roads. And I’m glad to see them using new methods which means we can get roads repaired in a quicker and more cost-effective way.

"One of biggest frustrations and concerns for residents is road quality. And so it was productive to speak with Charlie Edwards, the Cabinet Member responsible for Highways at Lancashire County Council in Padiham where I saw the first ‘rubber road’ in Lancashire.

"I was able to raise the roads within our borough where this would make the biggest difference and will continue to do so in the hope we see it rolled out more widely."

A video of the process used to resurface this road is now available at https://youtu.be/p_NA60ZpKes