Roads Minister tests the ‘Pothole Pro’ for National Pothole Day, following record £1.6bn Government boost

The Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, has marked National Pothole Day on 15th January, with a visit to the JCB Factory outside Derby, to see cutting-edge technology helping councils tackle potholes.

Derbyshire, highlighted by the RAC as the worst area in England for potholes, is set to benefit from a share of the Government’s record £1.6 billion investment to resurface across England.

This includes an additional £20 million for the East Midlands County Combined Authority, which includes Derbyshire, as part of a £1.6 billion funding for highway maintenance that will enable councils to fix up to seven million more potholes.

At the JCB Power Systems factory, the Roads Minister spoke to engineers to learn about the latest innovations being used to tackle the pothole plague. She also operated JCB’s ‘Pothole Pro’, a machine that can fix a pothole in eight minutes, with a cost of around £30. The ‘Pothole Pro’ is currently used in 20 local authorities.

The Minister also met with local leaders, to discuss their plans for filling potholes to deliver safer, quicker, and less costly journeys for all road users in Derbyshire. This is part of the Government’s plans to work more closely with local authorities to ensure they have the powers to spend it where their communities need it most.

As part of its Plan for Change, the Government is committed to delivering safer, smoother journeys—reducing delays, saving drivers money, and going above and beyond its manifesto pledge.

Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, said: “Potholes are a clear sign of decline in our infrastructure, and for too long roads like those in Derbyshire have been left in a state which endangers and costs road users.

“It’s time for change and we are investing £1.6 billion to fix up to 7 million more potholes across England next year, including over £75 million for the East Midlands Combined Authority.

“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.

“We’ll continue to engage with local leaders and industry to ensure innovations are being used to deliver roads the country deserves.”

Speaking ahead of the Ministerial visit, Ben Rawding, General Manager, Municipalities at JCB said: “We are looking forward to introducing the Minister to the benefits that innovation and technology can deliver in tackling the plague of potholes in our country.

“Last month’s announcement by the Department of Transport of £1.6 billion of funding for road repairs in England during 2025 is very welcome. Our appeal to the Minister will be for this funding to be spent wisely to ensure permanent long-term repairs become the priority for local authorities, making best use of value-adding, productive technology, such as the JCB Pothole Pro.”

The Government's latest roads maintenance funding builds on the wider support being given to councils to deliver core services and serve their communities. £69 billion of funding will be injected into council budgets across England to help them drive forward the government’s Plan for Change through investment and reform and to fix the foundations of local government.