Neath Port Talbot Council has taken delivery of a new pothole fixing machine which will make repairing the damaging road defects much quicker and easier.
Council Leader Cllr Steve Hunt and Cabinet Member for Streetscene Cllr Scott Jones have been to see the JCB Pothole Pro in action on the roads of Neath Port Talbot.
Cllr Hunt said: “This impressive machine will make a big difference to our ongoing fight against potholes by speeding up the operation and it will also be safer for our workforce.
“They will be safely in cabs when the work is being done, not exposed to the dangers of passing traffic, and there will not be the risks of the use of old style vibrating hand tools which can cause long term damage to hands or fingers.”
Cllr Jones added: “When our coalition was formed to run Neath Port Talbot Council, one of our priorities was to clean up and green up the county borough to improve the look of our towns, valleys and villages – this machine will be a big help achieving that.”
Now being used by a number of councils across the UK the JCB Pothole Pro is a time-saving, “three-in-one” vehicle designed to cut the time it takes to make pothole repairs.
First it cuts into the road surface where a pothole has appeared, it crops the perimeter of the hole neatly to allow a watertight repair and then it brushes away and collects the debris afterwards.
Highways teams then lay and compact asphalt into the prepared hole to complete a permanent repair.
