More than 30,000 square metres covered by Pothole Pro but councillor 'disappointed' as it operated at 50 percent capacity in 2024

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has revealed that their JCB Pothole Pro, which they bought in 2023, repaired 30,480 square metres in 2024.

The machine quickly repairs potholes by cutting, cleaning, and filling road defects, all with one piece of equipment, making repairs faster and more efficient.

A WNC spokeswoman said: "This innovative piece of technology carries out road repairs four times faster than standard methods. Teams can cut the defect, crop the edges, and clean the area with one machine."

Councillor Phil Larratt, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, added: "We know how important the state of our roads and footways are to residents, and the use of this innovative technology highlights our commitment to maintaining and improving the highways in West Northamptonshire in an even more efficient way."

However, according to JCB, it can repair up to 250 square metres of road each day. Over a full year, if used five days a week, it could repair about 65,000 square metres, meaning it is running at just under 50 percent capacity.

In February 2024, Independent councillor Ian McCord said the machine, which had been used at 30 percent of its capacity at the time, was “the classic case of buying the car and not being able to afford to run it.”

This month (February 2025), one year on from his “classic case” comment, Cllr McCord says he is “disappointed” the machine is still being used at just 50 percent of its capabilities.

He said: “I welcome the news that WNC is fixing potholes. We have enough of them across the district, but it is disappointing to see that, according to the manufacturers, this Pothole Pro should be capable of double the work rate that WNC has managed.

"WNC claims to have completed 30,480 square metres, which is approximately 122 days of work, meaning the machine is only being utilised at 50 percent.

"WNC and their contractor, Kier, need to find a way to make this machine more productive and get through the pothole repairs, rather than running it at just 50 percent efficiency.”

WNC has been contacted for further comment.

As well at the Pothole Pro, in the last 18 months, WNC and its highways partner Kier Transportation have introduced five Roadmenders and a Micropaver to their fleet – machines that use new technology to improve the quality and speed of repairs, while being more sustainable and reducing carbon emissions.

Edith Shah, general manager at Kier Transportation, added: “This innovative machinery supports our shared carbon reduction targets while offering high-quality repairs. It is also more cost-effective, and the speed of the repairs is faster, which means we can minimise disruption for residents and businesses.”

WNC allocates approximately £1 million annually to Kier for road maintenance under a seven-year contract that began in September 2022.

The council’s compensation payouts for motorists hitting potholes have sharply decreased from £19,271.53 in 2021/22 to just £3,019 in 2023/24, marking a decline of approximately 84 percent. This suggests that while potholes remain a problem, fewer claims are being submitted and/or compensated.