Northamptonshire council brings in new machine to tackle potholes

8 January 2024

Martin Heath

BBC News, Northamptonshire

Peter Ingram from Kier said the machine breaks the old road surface up and removes it

Ollie Conopo/BBC Man in hard hat and orange hi-viz stands on a road with the pothole machine in the background — Peter Ingram from Kier said the machine breaks the old road surface up and removes it

A new £165,000 machine designed to repair potholes in eight minutes has made its debut in an area that has seen a lot of complaints about the state of the roads.

The Pothole Pro will be used on roads throughout West Northamptonshire.

West Northamptonshire Council said the equipment would "do the job more speedily and more efficiently".

The campaigner "Mr Pothole" said the council needed to learn how to get the most out of the machine.

The problem of potholes has been high on the agenda in the West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) patch for some time.

The area is home to Mark Morrell, who earned the nickname "Mr Pothole" by campaigning tirelessly for improvements to the road surface.

Brackley's Mr Pothole used an orange tank to get his message across in London in 2020

Martin Heath/BBC Orange tank driving past buildings in Parliament Square — Brackley's Mr Pothole used an orange tank to get his message across in London in 2020

He made sure his campaign got noticed by MPs three years ago when he took an orange tank around Parliament Square.

Mark Morrell - known as Mr Pothole - said he had been pushing WNC to get specialist equipment to take the problem on the county's roads

Man in hi-viz using measuring device to check length of pothole — Mark Morrell - known as Mr Pothole - said he had been pushing WNC to get specialist equipment to take the problem on the county's roads

Mr Pothole said: "I have been pushing WNC to get a Pothole Pro for ages.

"It's good they have finally got one working in our area.

"They need to learn how to get the most out of it - it's a very effective machine when used fully."

The JCB machine automates the process of removing the defective surface and laying a new one.

The machinery breaks up the old surface, removes it and then prepares the road for the new surface

Ollie Conopo/BBC Digger-like machine moves across road surface under repair — The machinery breaks up the old surface, removes it and then prepares the road for the new surface

Peter Ingram, from WNC's highways partner, Kier, said: "It's got teeth on it that just pummel the existing asphalt and then breaks that surface up."

Peter Ingram from Kier said the machine was safer because it automated dangerous tasks

Ollie Conopo/BBC Yellow machine resembling digger with its claws raised on a road — Peter Ingram from Kier said the machine was safer because it automated dangerous tasks

The waste is removed from the site and returned to the depot where it can be recycled for use on other roads in the area.

WNC's Phil Larrett said the machie would "do the job more speedily and more efficiently"

Ollie Conopo/BBC Man wearing glasses and orange hi-viz with road maintenance workers in the background — WNC's Phil Larrett said the machie would "do the job more speedily and more efficiently"

Phil Larrett, WNC's cabinet member for highways, said: "To do the job by hand would take four, five, six times longer.

"We are delivering by using this equipment to do the job more speedily and more efficiently and to give us a better outcome."

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