Black Isle in frame to pioneer ditch-probe camera plan

INSPECTING roadside drains in the Highlands is set to go hi-tech as images of ditches could be captured by special cameras mounted on a vehicle, it has emerged.

Highland Council’s transport department wants to use the latest technology to assess the condition of ditches on its road network so it can prioritise where work is urgently needed.

The scheme – which would be reminiscent of internet giant Google’s vehicles which have toured the region in recent years compiling images for its Street View service – would see staff trained up to use the system and then sent out this summer for the innovative journeys.

Councillors will be asked to approve a recommendation that the “drain car” is trialled in the Black Isle and Lochaber before it is driven to other parts of the region.

Buying the equipment needed for the mapping journeys would cost £25,000.

The cameras would record videos of the ditches which are linked to GPS software and the condition of the drains could then be viewed and classified.

Senior roads official Richard Guest states that money spent on roadside drainage prolongs the life of roads and meets the council’s “preventative spend” drive, in a report which will be considered by the transport, environmental and community services committee in Inverness on Thursday.

He said information on drainage conditions currently comes from several sources including visual inspections by staff and information from the public, community councils and Highland councillors.

If approved by councillors, Mr Guest states that the trials could start in July and a map could be produced afterwards which could be used to determine the most suitable repairs required whether it be cleaning the ditch out, reducing the verge height or creating a new drain.

Repairs could then carried out between November and February next year.

The SNP-led council administration has pledged to inspect watercourses and clean gullies and ditches more regularly to avoid water damage to roads.

If ditches are regularly maintained it can reduce cracking in the road surface.