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Dawsongroup has added 50 JCB Pothole Pros to its existing fleet. Photo: JCB

The company, which already owns 11 Pothole Pros, has deployed them on long-term hire with local councils throughout the country.

JCB said demand for the machines has surged, reflecting the urgent need for road repairs.

The Asphalt Industry Alliance’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey estimates there is over €16 billion worth of overdue road repairs in England and Wales, equivalent to a nine-year backlog.

Rapid repairs required

JCB said its tests have shown that the Pothole Pro can complete a pothole repair in under eight minutes, a process four times faster than standard methods and equivalent to fixing 700 potholes per month.

With a travel speed of 40km/h, the machine can quickly relocate between sites without incurring additional transport costs.

The machine can be used to first cut out the damaged surface of the road, then crop the edges and clean the hole, preparing it for a new surface.

Glen Carruthers, MD of Dawsongroup, said, “We only bought our first JCB Pothole Pro under a year ago, and the response has been staggering, with the whole of the current fleet now out on hire. We have placed this additional order simply to keep up with demand.”