Council to trial new pothole-fixing machines
BBCA council will trial new technology as part of efforts to improve how it tackles potholes across the borough.
The decision was approved as North East Lincolnshire councillors agreed a £17.4m highways and transport capital programme for 2026-27.
The plans include about £168,000 for maintenance and innovation trials, including JCB's Pothole Pro machine, which is claimed to repair road defects more efficiently than traditional methods.
Council leader Oliver Freeston said tackling potholes was a priority for the Reform UK administration and welcomed the inclusion of trials for new technology.
More than 1,700 potholes were reported to the council between December 2025 and February 2026.
Freeston had previously pledged to bring the Pothole Pro to the region and earlier this month announced that the trial would be provided free of charge by JCB.
He said it would be "just the first step in the technology we'll be bringing to the area", adding officers would assess whether the machinery was suitable for local roads.
The council is also considering other technology, including the Roadmaster, developed by a Scunthorpe company, which is claimed can repair individual potholes rather than longer stretches of road, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Other councils to trial the Pothole Pro include Leicestershire County Council, which said an assessment by highways officers concluded the vehicle was "too big" to deploy efficiently.
Lincolnshire County Council conducted a nine-week pilot in 2021, before turning it down because engineers "found better tools".
However, another trial was conducted in 2025 and in April the council confirmed it would be maintained having "demonstrated clear benefits in efficiency, safety and service across the county's road network".
The highways programme in North East Lincolnshire also includes £9.4m for highway maintenance and resurfacing and £1.4m for road safety and traffic management projects.
Other schemes include £1.6m for Corporation Road Bridge, about £470,000 for Abbey Walk Car Park and more than £650,000 for traffic signal improvements.
A further £1.6m has been allocated for accessibility and active travel projects, including support for walking and cycling schemes.
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