A new machine JCB claims can fix a pothole in less than eight minutes is coming to Northern Ireland this month.
The company says the PotholePro is four times faster and can repair roads at half the price of current methods.
The state of Northern Ireland's roads has long been an issue with 85,000 defects recorded last winter and continued claims of neglect to the network.
JCB Chairman, Lord Bamford, said: “Potholes are a blight on our nation and the solution we’ve developed offers a quick and permanent fix.
“Changing the long-established ways of road repair takes time, but I’m pleased that councils across the UK are now starting to see the benefits of the JCB PotholePro, which is exceeding expectations in speed and productivity.”
Stoke-on-Trent City Council became the first authority in the UK to invest in the new tech last year and JCB claims that it has repaired a staggering 10,000m² of road in just over four months - an area equivalent to eight Olympic sized swimming pools.
Using traditional methods, JCB said it would have taken almost three years to make the repairs.
Dennison JCB Sales Manager, Ian Calderwood, said: “We are excited to see the PotholePro in operation and to gauge the reaction and level of interest from some of our potential customers.
“It’s great to think that Dennison JCB could be indirectly involved in improving the driving conditions for many of NI’s motoring population!”
The PotholePro works by cutting the defect, cropping its edges and cleaning the hole with one machine – mechanising jobs traditionally done by pothole gangs and delivering up to a 50% cut in daily costs.
Councils get a request to fix a pothole every 46 seconds, added JCB, and millions of pounds have been paid out in compensation to drivers for vehicle damage caused by potholes.
Following a 22,000 miles tour around England, Scotland and Wales the PotholePro is now arriving in NI.
