A 'hole' lotta work ahead in the Highlands for revolutionary machine
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Today is National Pothole Day, if you didn't know.
And digger maker JCB has confirmed that its revolutionary pothole-fixing machine is racking up the repairs, helping keep more than 10,000 miles of roads across Scotland pothole free.
The company revealed that its revolutionary Pothole Pro machine has helped carry out 12 years’ worth of repairs in less than two years.
More and more councils and contractors across Scotland are now buying the machine from JCB dealer Scot JCB – and the company has also received orders from as far afield as Australia and Slovakia.
The Pothole Pro combines three machines in one and can repair a pothole in less than eight minutes - four times quicker than standard methods and at half the cost of current solutions.
Four Scottish councils have armed themselves with the Pothole Pro – Highland, Fife, Scottish Borders and North Lanarkshire – covering more than 10,000 miles of highway.
Mark Morrell, the self-styled Mr Pothole, said: “I’ve been highlighting the problems with Scotland’s roads for years but thankfully there is an answer with JCB’s Pothole Pro. I’ve seen the machine up close and it’s having a huge impact - getting through the backlog of repairs in record time.”
The machine’s development has been personally led by JCB Chairman Lord Bamford, who said: “We simply cannot allow our road networks to continue to be blighted by potholes. JCB’s solution is simple and cost effective and fixes potholes permanently, first time.”
JCB Pothole Pro Sales Manager Ben Rawding added: “The Pothole Pro really is the only machine on the market to tackle potholes quickly, effectively and at a fraction of the cost.”
The Pothole Pro allows the contractor or local authority to cut the defect, crop the edges and clean the hole with one machine – mechanising jobs traditionally done by pothole gangs and delivering up to a 50% cut in daily costs. It is equipped with a 600mm wide planer and integrated dust suppression system, enabling the operator to plane a full carriageway from the kerb, without repositioning. The machine also comes with a sweeper/bucket and hydraulic cropping tool, allowing a uniform hole to be prepared by the operator from the comfort their cab.
In the UK, councils get a request to fix a pothole every 46 seconds and more than £8.1 million was paid out in compensation to drivers last year for vehicle damage caused by potholes.
Car insurance expert at Confused.com, Louise Thomas, comments: “The cold snap of the winter has brought heavy rain and freezing temperatures, creating a perfect storm for more potholes on roads. The Asphalt Industry Alliance predicts the number of potholes in the UK was around 1.7 million between 2021 and 2022. But these numbers could start to increase this year, resulting in more incidents on the road.
“If your car faces pothole damage, you might be able to make a claim for it. There are 5 clear steps to take when making a claim:
1. Check the damage
2. Gather evidence in photos
3. Report the pothole to the local authority
4. Ask a mechanic to confirm the damage and get repair quotes
5. Submit the claim to your insurer
“Local authorities are usually responsible for the damage since it's in their jurisdiction. Our tips for making a pothole claim should have everything you need to know, even including what you can do if the claim is rejected.”
