Leicestershire County Council is to trial a JCB Pothole Pro this autumn, months after the authority said the machine was too large and did not represent an economical option for its roads.
The free trial will last for a couple of days and allow highways teams to assess how the equipment performs on Leicestershire’s network.
Council representatives visited JCB during the week beginning 17 August to see the machine in operation and meet members of the company’s engineering and apprentice teams.
The authority stressed that it had not decided to buy or lease a machine and that any longer-term use would depend on its performance, compatibility with existing operations and value for money.
The development represents a change in approach from June, when Leicestershire County Council said the Pothole Pro was too large for much of the work it carried out and would require road closures. It also said the equipment did not “stack up as an economical piece of kit”.
The council will now test those conclusions during the short autumn trial.
The Pothole Pro combines three stages of preparing a damaged road surface in one machine. It can cut around a defect, crop away the damaged material and clean the area before a highways team lays new material.
Its performance has produced differing conclusions elsewhere in the region.
Lincolnshire County Council first tested the machine for nine weeks in 2021 but decided it was too expensive and did not provide better value than its existing equipment.
A longer trial, launched in 2025 with a greater focus on clusters of defects and larger patching work, produced a more positive result.
The machine averaged 64 square metres of repairs a day against a target of 60 square metres. Lincolnshire officers concluded that it was slightly more expensive than conventional methods but around five per cent more efficient, while also offering safety benefits for workers.
The council’s contractor subsequently retained the machine for use on Lincolnshire’s roads.
Nottinghamshire County Council took delivery of two Pothole Pro machines in April 2026. They were leased for 12 months through highways company Via East Midlands and are being assessed alongside conventional repair equipment.
Nottinghamshire has been using the machines for localised patching and to prepare sections of road for surface dressing, rather than treating them solely as equipment for filling individual potholes.
Leicestershire County Council said it had repaired around 10,000 potholes during the past year. The authority has also announced an additional £2.5 million for highways maintenance, inspections and repairs following what it described as the wettest winter on record.
Council leader Councillor Dan Harrison said the visit to JCB had highlighted the skills and engineering work behind the equipment.
He said: “We were delighted to spend time at JCB and meet some of the apprentice team, who showed the grit, hard work and ambition that sits behind British engineering.
“This is about doing business with British business, supporting local industry and being part of something that keeps jobs, skills and innovation in this country.”
Councillor Andrew Hamilton-Gray, cabinet member for highways, said the authority needed to establish whether the machine could provide value for residents.
He said: “Testing the latest innovation is part of that, and we’re looking forward to trialling a Pothole Pro in Leicestershire with the experts at JCB.
“But this is a trial, not a decision to buy. We need to see how it performs on our roads, how it supports our teams and whether it offers the right value for Leicestershire residents.”
No precise dates or locations for the autumn trial have yet been announced.
