JCB pothole filler being tested in Lincolnshire after admission that roads are 'dreadful'

Jonathan Evans, Head of Highways at Lincolnshire County Council, with a JCB Pothole Pro which is being trialled (Image: Lincolnshire Live)

The council previously said it wasn't good value for money, but will be trying a new strategy to patch the roads

A JCB pothole-filling machine is being tested on Lincolnshire roads. The Pothole Pro was previously trialled in the county in 2021, but it was found not to offer good value for money at the time.

However, the Reform-led Lincolnshire County Council is now examining whether it could be effective on larger areas which need patching. JCB claim that fixing each pothole will be half the cost and four times quicker, completing the job of several crews by itself.

The 12-month trial can be extended or cut short, depending on the results. Council leader Councillor Sean Matthews (Ref) said: “Lincolnshire roads are in a dreadful state – we’re trying to do things outside the box.

“We need to get potholes fixed, and this may be the answer, it may not. We’re going to give it a good try and find out whether it’s right for Lincolnshire. The previous trial was designed to fail; they never put the real effort in. This will be over a whole year – we’ll know whether it was right or not.

“It’s not really good over long, rural roads, but we have a lot of urban areas too.”

The ‘all in one’ machine is designed to quickly create square holes which are ready for new asphalt to be laid, focusing on 10 metre by 30 metre patches. The Local Democracy Reporting Service saw it in action on a section of the A158 near Wragby.

Jonathan Evans, the council’s head of highways, said: “We carried out a trial in 2021 and found it didn’t stack up as value for money. We are now trying reactive patching on larger areas, so the drive time shouldn’t be as much of a factor.”

He said that crews improved the more they tested the vehicle. Other Reform-run councils, including Derbyshire, are also planning to test it.