Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood MP dropped into JCB on National Pothole Day – to see close up a machine which is helping fix the nationwide scourge of Britain’s highways.

The Nottingham South MP visited the JCB Power Systems factory in Foston, Derbyshire to watch the JCB Pothole Pro in action. Derbyshire has been highlighted as the worst area in England for potholes and is set to benefit from a share of the Government’s record £1.6 billion investment to resurface roads across England.

JCB’s Pothole Pro - which is already in use with councils across the UK - can fix a pothole in eight minutes at a cost of around £30 – half the cost of traditional methods.

Lilian Greenwood said:

“Today is National Pothole Day and I am absolutely delighted to be with JCB in Derbyshire. We are investing a record £1.6 billion in fixing our roads, which is going to make a real difference to constituents not just here in Derbyshire, but across the whole of England, which will see smoother and safer roads."

“It’s really important that we make best use of that funding and local authorities look at what new technologies and innovations they can adopt to make sure they can fix as many potholes in a permanent way."

“One of the things people get really frustrated about is that a pothole gets fixed and then it’s in the same state a few months later, so it’s really important that local authorities are looking at new innovations and equipment. JCB’s Pothole Pro is one of the many great examples of using new technology to repair potholes faster and demonstrates how companies are harnessing new technology to repair potholes faster.”

JCB Municipalities General Manager Ben Rawding said:

“As the Government embarks on a huge investment in England’s roads, we were delighted to show the Future of Roads Minister just how innovative and cost effective the JCB Pothole Pro is at providing a permanent fix for potholes.”