Edinburgh council 'not making best use of pothole killer machine'

Pothole Pro out of action for one-third of time

The JCB Pothole Pro is said to repair potholes in a quarter of the time at half the cost

Edinburgh council chiefs have been accused of failing to make best use of their "pothole killer" machine after it emerged it had been out of action for around a third of the time they've had it.

The council hired the JCB Pothole Pro last year to trial it in the face of a £77 million backlog of road repairs. Manufacturers JCB claim he machine can carry out repairs in a quarter of the time at half the cost.

And in response to a Freedom of Information request from Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs, the council revealed it had tackled potholes covering an area of 7,270 square metres - approximately the size of a football pitch.

But it also admitted the Pothole Pro had been operational for 94 days and was not in use for 48 days.

Mr Briggs, said: “The hiring of the JCB Pothole Pro was a positive move from Edinburgh Council to reduce the number of potholes across the city less disruption to traffic.

“I am pleased that the pothole killer has been able to cover a significant number of potholes, the equivalent of a standard size football pitch.

 “It is concerning that the machine has only been utilised for approximately two thirds of working days since its arrival, which suggests more potholes could be covered.

“Given the poor state of Edinburgh roads it’s vital we see the JCB Pothole Pro operational and so I hope Edinburgh City Council will review the current operational activity and potential for seven-day-a-week operation to make our roads safe for all users.”

The FoI request also asked about the cost of the machine. The council said hire costs to date had been £41,250, with ongoing hire costs of £5,416.67 per month. And it said if a new Pothole Pro were to be purchased, it would have an approximate cost of £195,000.

Mr Briggs said: “It is relatively expensive to hire the JCB Pothole Pro and Edinburgh Council should considering purchasing one, which would pay for itself in under two and a half years."

Pentland Hills Tory councillor Graeme Bruce said: "Whilst we welcome the pothole killer machine - still to see it in action in Pentland Hills ward - our Conservative group asked for this machine in one of our budgets early on in the previous council term.

"Unfortunately the SNP/Labour administration at that time just ignored our calls for this machine. The roads would not be in such a dire state today if they had actually listened to us. Too little too late in my opinion."

Transport convener Scott Arthur said the Pothole Pro had been a "great addition" to the city's roads operations team, helping to improve more than 8,000 square metres of roads in 2023/24 so far, and allowing a higher level of quality control to ensure reliable repairs.

He said: “We’ve also been clear that the use of the pothole killer is a trial, and we’ve been closely monitoring its use, benefits and outcomes with a view to reporting to committee this year with proposals for its future use.

“The use of this machine requires specific training and due to its trial nature we only have capacity to train a limited number of staff. This, alongside various reasons like annual leave and sickness as well as the need for team members to respond to emergencies such as severe weather, means we haven’t been able to bring the pothole killer out every day. However, I’m confident it’s still having a positive impact and I look forward to a future report on its success."

But Cllr Arthur said the Pothole Pro was "just the tip of the iceberg" in the council's efforts to get road and footpath conditions back on track. "This year should see 480,000 square metres of roads and footpaths resurfaced. Next year will be more challenging: the proposed funding allocation from the Scottish Government and the unfunded nature of their council tax freeze will make it difficult to maintain this level of investment.”