New pothole mending tech to be trialled in Leeds
Leeds City Council said it was looking at the use of new machinery as part of this year’s road patching programme.
New road-mending methods are being tested out in the city as the council tackles a backlog of potholes.
Leeds City Council said it was looking at the use of new machinery as part of this year’s road patching programme.
The Pothole Pro cuts out and cleans sections of road and can repair a pothole in eight minutes, its manufacturer JCB has claimed.
The council said a short trial was carried out in July ahead of further planned tests on the equipment.
Labour’s Jonathan Pryor, deputy council leader and executive member for transport, said: “The JCB Pothole Pro is a very interesting piece of kit.
“It’s like a Thunderbird that comes in an fills your potholes.”
The council’s Infrastructure, Investment and Inclusive Growth scrutiny board was told a trial of thermal road repair equipment was also carried out in June.
The method uses infra-red heat to recycle damaged asphalt, reducing the amount of new road surfacing needed.
A separate trial of spray injection patching, which forces air into potholes at high speed to clear them out, was started in August.
Coun Pryor told the scrutiny board: “The thermal road repairs, the spray injection patching, these are things that could make a real difference on our roads.”
A report to the meeting said there were 7,874 reported potholes in the city last year, down from 14,646 in 2023/24.
It said: “Despite a prolonged cold period in January 2025, carriageway pothole numbers returned to similar levels following the 2023/24 increased figure.”
A survey by the Asphalt Industry Alliance found that nationally, there was a small decrease in potholes to around 1.9m this year.
The report said the new repair methods could also reduce carbon emissions and boost health and safety at work.
Coun Pryor said: “I’m really pleased we are now in a position where we can look these innovative methods to get on top of that backlog of work.”