Pothole-fixing machine 'not economical' - council

Leicestershire County Council has said a machine used by other authorities to fix potholes does not "stack up as an economical piece of kit".

The Pothole Pro is being used by Nottinghamshire County Council and Lincolnshire County Council, which said the piece of JCB plant was a quicker and more efficient way of mending road defects than traditional methods.

However, an assessment by highways officers in Leicestershire, released following a Freedom of Information inquiry, concluded the vehicle was "too big" to deploy efficiently.

A spokesperson for JCB said a one-day trial of the JCB was "far too short" to evaluate its merits in terms of productivity.

The machines cut out sections of road around potholes for "neater" repairs, and JCB says it works up to four times quicker than traditional methods.

Reform UK-led Leicestershire County Council said it arranged a one-day trial of the Pothole Pro in January 2025, having previously seen a demonstration in 2021, before deciding against acquiring any of the machines.

"After two demonstrations, officers concluded that the JCB Pothole Pro did not stack up as an economical piece of kit to repair potholes in Leicestershire," a report said.

It said the large size of the machine made it unsuitable to repair category one and two higher defects that needed quick responses and where speed and minimal disruption were key.

The council concluded the size of the machine meant road closures, with significant traffic management measures or lengthy legal processes to get closure orders, would be needed.

The council also judged the quantity of work was not adequate to "utilise Pothole Pro's full potential on a daily basis – which in turn would make it very inefficient".

It added: "The JCB PP is big - it's bigger than a normal excavator, it would not be suitable for small defect repairs - the machine is too big and would close the road, it would be inefficient to travel round repairing small potholes."

Officials said it would be better used in one place doing lots of patching under planned road closures but added "it then struggles to compete with an external machine lay patching gang that uses a traditional planer".

The assessment also said the Pothole Pro leaves material on the floor, which required a new attachment to be fitted to sweep up, and that made it slower than using work gangs of highway workers.

A Leicestershire County Council spokesperson told the BBC: "Our main aim is to fill as many potholes as we can - and we've invested an extra £2.5m into fixing our roads and recruited more inspectors to assess and fix potholes faster.

"The current machinery we use and how we operate does the job for us given the size and nature of our road network and we are confident of how effective it is.

"However, we're always open to exploring any new possibilities that may make our work even more efficient."

Nottinghamshire County Council unveiled a number of the £66,000 machines in May when it started a 12-month trial.

Reform Council leader Mick Barton 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."

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.

Lincolnshire County Council conducted a nine-week pilot of the Pothole Pro in 2021, before turning it down because engineers "found better tools".

However, its current Reform leader Sean Matthews authorised another trial in 2025 and in April the council confirmed the equipment would be maintained having "demonstrated clear benefits in efficiency, safety and service across the county's road network".

A spokesperson for JCB said: "The JCB Pothole Pro has proven its worth in other council areas where it has been evaluated more fully, such as Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which has repaired seven years' worth of potholes in 12 months, a statistic that unequivocally underlines the machine's efficiency.

"We hope Leicestershire County Council - in light of the recent surge in potholes across the county - will now think differently and undertake a proper, long-term trial and evaluation of the Pothole Pro across its road network.

"Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians in Leicestershire deserve nothing less."

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