Council unveils new machines for filling potholes

Nottinghamshire County Council has unveiled two JCB machines for filling in potholes.

The Pothole Pro weighs 13 tonnes and cuts out sections of road around potholes for "neater" repairs, with manufacturer JCB claiming it works up to four times quicker than traditional methods.

The Reform-led council launched the new machines - which cost £66,000 each and will be on trial for 12 months - at an event at County Hall on Thursday, and said they will hit the roads next week.

It comes after the authority launched eight new pothole repair crews as part of plans to fix the county's roads.

The authority recently announced phase two of its scheme to fix the roads - which totals £181.25m, with a portion of the money coming from the East Midlands Mayor, Claire Ward.

County council leader Mick Barton said fixing the roads is one of his top priorities, and said the Pothole Pro machines could fill "between 200m and 250m a day".

"These are the best bet on the market," he said.

"We have done our homework and been to see them in action.

"I know they will work in Nottinghamshire."

Speaking to Politics East on Sunday, he added: "We've looked at other councils that have used this piece of machinery and they've found it very successful.

"This is just one part of the armoury we are going to be using to fix the roads."

Other authorities have looked at using the Pothole Pro on their roads, with mixed results.

In Gloucestershire, a trial against another machine ended in a draw, while similar tests have also taken place in Lincolnshire.

Sam Smith, Conservative leader of the opposition on the county council, previously said the authority carried out a "formal trial" of the Pothole Pro machines in 2021, and officers reported back that it was not worthwhile.

In February, he said Via East Midlands, which provides highways maintenance for the council, found the machine could carry out repairs but struggled on narrow residential roads, and accused the Reform-led administration of "ignoring that professional advice entirely".

"This machine has already been trialled in Nottinghamshire and highways officers were very clear: it was not the right tool for our road network and it did not offer good value for money," he said.

"Reform UK seem to be searching for a silver bullet, but there isn't one."

Smith was contacted for further comment.

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