World’s biggest Pothole Pro fleet set to fix Britain’s roads

Britain’s pothole problem is well-documented, but that could all be about to change thanks to a fleet of JCB Pothole Pros. 

JCB Pothole Pros hit the roads 

Dawsongroup, a commercial asset supplier, recently bought 11 Pothole Pros from JCB, all of which are now out on long-term hire with councils up and down the country.  

Managing director of Dawsongroup Glen Carruthers 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”.  

The additional order brings their total of JCB Pothole Pros up to 50 machines. 

How bad is the pothole problem? 

Potholes are one of the leading causes of car breakdowns, with councils paying out almost £27 million to drivers whose cars were damaged by potholes last year. 

In 2023, data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) revealed a reported 556,658 potholes in England.  

The FOI was sent to all 185 county and district councils in England, but only 81 responded. It also didn’t include Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, so the true number of potholes in the UK would be at least two to three times higher.  

How will the Pothole Pros help? 

Testing has shown the Pothole Pro can complete a pothole repair in less than eight minutes – four times faster than standard methods. That adds up to approximately 700 pothole repairs per month.  

The machine cuts out the damaged area of road, crops the edges and cleans the hole before it’s filled in with tarmac, making it a permanent, long-term fix.  

With a 25mph travel speed, the Pothole Pro can also move between sites without having to be transported, reducing the overall cost of the pothole repair.  

JCB Municipalities general manager Ben Rawding says: “More and more local authorities are recognising the Pothole Pro is the best way to fix Britain’s roads quickly and permanently, first time.” 

For more information, check out our blog on the low levels of road maintenance in the UK.