Black Country councils urged to chip in and buy JCB Pothole Pro machine between them
Black Country councils have been urged to pool resources and buy a "super efficient" pot hole fixing machines that will save hundreds of staff hours a week.
The JCB Pothole Pro machine costs £150,000 and can fix 10,000 potholes within a month, which would take a traditional team of workmen three years to complete.
Paul Moore, Hateley Heath councillor and Sandwell Council economy scrutiny chairman, brought up the machine at the authority's cabinet meeting.
He said: "This machine can be very productive, it would save money in the long run. Other councils which have purchased one have reported amazing results.
"If Sandwell Council cannot afford one it should ask other Black Country councils to contribute and we all share the machine."
Councillor Moore has been told Sandwell Council will approach Dudley Council, Walsall Council and Wolverhampton Council about sharing a JCB Pro.
Councillor Bob Piper, cabinet member for community safety, told Councillor Moore the council was already doing a good job tackling potholes.
He said: "I'm sure the JCB Pothole Pro is good, but one costs around £150,000 and when its filled the required potholes it would sit there dormant."
When Councillor Moore extolled the virtues of the Pothole Pro again, Councillor Piper joked: "Are you on commission for JCB?"
The Pothole Pro was the brainchild of JCB boss Lord Bamford who told his engineers to invent a machine which could fix potholes easily as the price of fixing them costs the country a massive amount of money every year. A pothole is fixed every 19 seconds in the UK at the cost of £60 each time.
Unveiled to the public last year the Pothole Pro has been an instant success with councils up and down the country either buying one or leasing them.
The machine has been designed to manage small potholes before they become a big problem. It can also sheer off whole sections of road and do far, far larger sections of tarmac.
Its main benefit is it does not require as many workmen to fix a pothole than the traditional method. Councils, including Shropshire have leased the machine, which can be as little as £619 a week.
