MINI computers will soon be helping a council to speed up its road repair programme.
Four pocket-sized computers, costing £6,000 in total, are to be issued to Darlington Borough Council's team of highways inspectors to help them deal more efficiently with the 3,250 inspections they carry out each year.
The computers will help to reduce the amount of paperwork involved, and speed up the time between a problem being identified and resolved.
They will also allow inspectors to send e-mails on site to utility companies after carrying out roadwork inspections.
Councillor Nick Wallis, the authority's cabinet member for highways and transport, said most of the borough's 520km of roads and footpaths were inspected at least every three months
"Highway maintenance is a top priority for the council, with a total of £4.7m to be spent this year on improvements to roads and footpaths," he said.
"This new technology will help to ensure that we spend this money effectively by reducing paperwork and speeding up procedures."
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