New machine set to wage war on Britain’s potholes

JCB is waging war on the nation’s millions of potholes with the launch of a new machine designed to rid roads of them.

The ‘Potholemaster’ is a new twist on JCB’s iconic backhoe loader that can permanently fix potholes which blight motorists’ lives. It comes as the government makes an additional £200 million available in the budget for councils to tackle the problem.

The self-deployable machine, which can travel at 40kph, has an attachment at the rear called a patch planer which is equipped with 45 steel teeth to grind away the surface of the pothole and surrounding road.

Once that job is complete, the digger slips into reverse and drives backwards and then forwards over the ground-out pothole, sweeping up the resulting dust, dirt and debris with a giant sweeper collector on the front of the machine. This means a sound base is created for a permanent repair of the pothole with tarmac.

More than two million potholes a year are filled across England and Wales and millions of pounds in compensation is paid every year to motorists whose vehicles are damaged.

Backhoe loader growth managing director Yvette Henshall-Bell said: “We’ve had a team of engineers working closely with the highways industry for the past six months to ensure we develop products the sector wants and needs. Potholes are a huge issue for UK motorists and in lots of cases the repairs are nothing more than sticking plaster solutions. With the JCB Potholemaster we are offering a cost-effective, permanent solution for fixing potholes in an attempt to help rid Britain of the pothole menace.”