The trial of a new machine to help get Norfolk's pothole-pocked roads fixed has begun, with officials and councillors keen to establish if the technology will save time and taxpayers' money.
Reform-led Norfolk County Council is testing out a specialist JCB Pothole Pro machine, with the vehicle and the operator provided to County Hall at no cost during the trial.
The machine is being tested at Fir Covert Road and Cherry Tree Road, near New Buckenham, in south Norfolk, while a further test is planned at the B1145 near Cawston, in north Norfolk.
Council officials will evaluate how effective the machine is before deciding whether or not to sign a contract for one or more of them in the future.
Alan Wallace, national highways manager for JCB, said the machine could cut, crop and clean potholes more quickly and safely than traditional methods, before other workers complete the job by resurfacing the prepared area.
He said: "We are confident in the machine's capabilities and are demonstrating it so the council can see the benefits it can bring. Rather than have five or six workers out there with breakers, this machine can do the job of breaking, planning and sweeping.
"We did a test in Stoke-on-Trent where we compared it to a conventional team. That team took an hour-and-a-half to do work which this machine completed in 13 minutes."
Grahame Bygrave, director of highways, transport and waste at Norfolk County Council, said: "Not all roads at the same, from the construction point of view, so the idea is to see how the machine operates on Norfolk's roads and how it copes. At the end of the trials we will carry out a full evaluation comparing it to the other methods which we use."
Tom Dickerson, Reform's cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "It's really important to have a look at it and carry out a full evaluation and then we will decide what to do next."
The use of the JCB Pothole Pro has attracted controversy, with Liberal Democrat county councillor Rob Colwell highlighting how JCB is owned by Lord Anthony Bamford, who donated £200,000 to Nigel Farage's Reform party in 2025.
Reform-led Leicestershire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Lincolnshire County Council have all previously made use of the machine, while Suffolk County Council, also under Reform's control, is currently trialling it.
Reform has rebutted any suggestion it "would ever trade public contracts for political patronage".
Norfolk County Council is responsible for maintaining 6,200 miles of the county's roads, but not the A47 or A11, which are within the remit of National Highways.
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